Happy World Heritage day!
Every year 18th of April is celebrated as
the world heritage day. Since 1982, when
ICOMOS (International Council for Monuments and Sites) came up with the idea of
celebrating ‘International day for Monuments and Sites’ with few other resolutions
to protect and conserve the heritage monuments and sites, which then was accepted
by UNESCO in 1983 and over the period of time is celebrated as the ‘World
Heritage day’.
On hearing the word ‘Heritage’ some might feel that
heritage is just meant for the elite people. But the fact is heritage is
something that is much more inclusive than anything one could think of. Heritage
is not only just respecting the arts, it is also about respecting the artisans
and livelihood based on the form of art materials.
We all are part of the precious heritage of our vast
country with various natural resources and cultural diversity. As an
individual, everybody is equally responsible for the protection of our heritage
and also there is a provision for the same in our constitution.
This year I feel more enthusiastic about heritage, thanks
to the awareness I found because of my course in INTACH (Indian National Trust
for Arts and Cultural Heritage). Over the last one year, I have been studying
and reading a lot about heritage. One of the things that stuck me was the great
heritage sites and monuments of ancient India that seem to inspire even after
all these centuries.
I was also
going through the list of the ‘seven wonders of the world’ and was disappointed
at how less India was represented. The current seven wonders of the world
include
-The Great Wall of China
-The statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Jeniro
-The peaks of Machu Picchu in Peru
-The Chichen Itza in Mexico
-The colosseum in Rome
-The Taj Mahal in India; and
-Petra in Jordan
If you notice, this is clearly an unequal and
imbalanced representation. That comes to the question of why are these ‘wonders’.
Are they only because they are old and ancient? Do they have any value? Or have
they just been hyped and promoted? Thanks to great tourism and travel packaging
and marketing.
When I saw these, I thought what if we had to make our
own list of Indian wonders from the vast variety of heritage, both tangible and
intangible. Then nobody would be able to beat that list. So I decided to make
my own list.
I would like to start with the ancient megalithic
Kailasanath temple in Ellora, that was carved out of a single rock. Did you
know that it is sculpted top to base? It is 164ft deep, 109ft wide and 98ft
high and it took over 400 years to sculpt it. The whole temple complex is
filled with intricate sculptures. It is still mind-boggling to think how our
ancestors achieved this!
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| Ellora - photo from onecheaptrip.com |
Then comes the ancient city of Kanchipuram in Tamil
Nadu. The capital of the Pallava Kingdom, was once a rich junction of culture
and commerce. Did you know the great Buddhist monk Bodhi Dharma was born in
Kanchi in 450 AD and took Buddhism to China? Kanchipuram is a town of 100s of
temples even today. Amongst all these is the beautifully kept ancient temple of
Kailasanatha. It is a brilliant piece of craftsmanship that reflects the great
patronage of the Pallava kings. Filled with exquisite sculptures, Kailasanatha temple
is a must-visit when you go to Tamil Nadu.
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| Kanchi Kailasanathar temple |
When you think of Khajuraho, you only see the erotic
sculptures, thanks to western tourists who can’t seem to think of anything
else. Do you know, there is much more to Khajuraho than these sculptures? Built
by the rulers of Chandela dynasty, these temples are located in Chattrapur
district of Madhya Pradhesh. Initially there were supposed to have been over 85
temple, but today only 25 survives. The main temple is Kandariya Mahadeva,
dedicated to lord Shiva. Out of all the temples, about six temples are
dedicated to lord Shiva, eight temples to Vishnu, one to lord Ganesha, one to
sun god and three to Jain Teerthankaras. Built according to numerous Aghamas,
these temples are some of the finest examples of architecture.
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| Khajuraho - mptourism.com |
If you have the newly introduced 100 rupee note, take
a closer look at it. The design is inspired by one of India’s greatest
stepwells in the town of Patan in Gujarat, on the banks of the Saraswati River.
This Rani Ki Vav basically means a queen’s stepwell. Who was this queen? Her name
was Udhayamathi, daughter of Naravaraha Khangara, a Chalukya ruler. For many
centuries this well was under the earth, after it got flooded and covered in
silt. It was only unearthed in the 1980s by the ASI (Archaeological survey of India).
Measuring approximately 65mts in length, 25mts in width and 28mts in depth, the
well can be reached all the way to the deepest level. There are over 200
pillars inside the stepwell. The corridor has compartments at various intervals
with different pavilions. Some of the finest and most beautiful and delicate
sculptures can be found in here. There are more than 500 big sculptures and
over a 1000 small sculptures of gods, goddesses and celestial beings and so on.
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| Rani Ki Vav - photo from wikipedia |
Can you imagine that one can build a 216ft Vimana
without using a single binding material? Come and visit the magnificent temple
of lord Brihadheeshwara in Thanjavur. Built by the great Raja Raja Chozhan, this
temple is an epitome of Dravidian architecture. In its haydays the temple
patronized over 400 Devadasis and countless musicians, scholars and artistes making
Thanjavur, the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu. This temple unlike many others
is not a monument, but a living heritage as it continues to function even
today. The huge edifice is awe-inspiring and breathtaking even today. Though it
was attacked the armies of Malik Kafur, who looted the gold plating over it,
the temple is still in a great shape after all these centuries.
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| Brihadheeshwara temple Thanjavur |
The next beautiful wonder is the 13th
century Sun temple at Konark in Odisha. This temple is attributed to the king
Narasimha Deva, the first of the eastern Ganga dynasty. In ancient India sun
temples were a common feature. Konark was one of the finest temples that looks
like a huge chariot with massive wheels drawn by horses, all of it carved in
stone. The temple was invaded and destroyed several times by Islam rulers. It is
one of the finest examples of Kalinga architecture. The traditional portrayal of
the sun god is that of one riding a chariot driven by seven horses. The Konark temple
is built like a huge chariot driven by seven horses. There are 12 pairs of
wheels corresponding to the 12 months of the Hindu calendar. There are 24 such
wheels carved, each wheel has a diameter of 9ft and 9inches with eight spokes. The
entire complex is worth visiting and taking a closer look to enjoy the beauty
of Odisha’s fine architecture.
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| Konark Son temple - photo from wikipedia |
Hampi was the capital of the largest Hindu kingdom in
the world, which is the Vijayanagara Empire. Hampi finds a mention in the
Kishkintha Kanda of Ramayana. This is where lord Hanuman was born. This became
the capital of the Vijayanagara kingdom and under the rule of the Vijayanagara
kings, Hampi blossomed into a great cultural capital. From the stone chariot
that inspired the new 50 rupee note, the musical pillars, Virupaksha temple,
the Hazara Rama temple, the huge statue of Lakshmi Narasimha, the holy hill of
Anjanadri and the beautiful Tungabhadra River, Hampi is filled with wonders. A lot
of these were destroyed after the battle of Talikota, when the Vijayanagar
empire to the attacks of Islam invaders. Hampi is a place every Indian must
visit at least once in their lifetime.
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| Stone Chariot - photo from wikipedia |
I have only shown you seven which came to my mind now.
By no means these represent everything in India. In fact, every state in India
has its own set of awe-inspiring wonders. Maybe, some other time I will write
about those also. When you see all of these, you wonder why a glorified
graveyards like the Taj Mahal represents our country. Why is that counted as the wonders of the world when these are not so popular outside India? The mistake
lies with the state and the system that constantly promoted the wrong things to
gain cheap political mileage. On World Heritage day, I would make an appeal to
all my esteemed readers to visit the places that I mention and discover the
true wonders of India and let the world know that India can be represented far
better than what it is right now.
Yours East Gaterr
Yours East Gaterr