Sirpur, A Buddhist Destination Waiting to be Discovered

Laxman temple, Sirpur / Image Source

Located on the banks of the Mahanadi River in the state of Chhattisgarh, Sirpur is a Buddhist destination that is still waiting to be discovered. In ancient times Sirpur served as the capital of Dakshin Kosala and was a great centre of Buddhist learning between the 6th and 10th centuries. The Chinese monk and scholar Hieun Tsang is believed to have visited the place in the 7th century AD.

According to Hieun Tsang, Sirpur was a home to hundred Buddhist monasteries inhabited by over 10,000 monks from South east Asia professing Mahayana form of Buddhism. Discovery of conch bangles seems to suggest the presence of Buddhist nuns in the viharas. 

The excavations at the site have unearthed important Buddhist sites and artifacts including 10 Buddhist visharas and a metre-high monolithic statue of Buddha in the "Bhumisparsh mudra", dating back to the 6th century. Another big find is the Buddhist Stupa built by Ashoka. Tradition is that the Buddha himself had visited Sirpur. 

The 7th century AD Laxman Temple is one of the most renowned structures in Sirpur.  Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the temple is one of the finest specimens of brick temples in India. 

 

 

Chaneti Stupa

                                                                Chaneti Stupa / Image Source

Three km north-west of the Buddhist site of Sugh in the Yamunanagar district of Haryana is located Chaneti which is home of one of the earlier and largest Buddhist stupas. This massive structure bears testimony to the greatness of the ancient Buddhist architecture.

A Stupa is a hemispherical dome and contains a small chamber in which the relics of the Buddha and his disciples were placed in a casket. The casket is often beautifully carved.

Chaneti stupa is one of those ones raised in the 3rd century BC by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka in honour of the Buddha all over India. The stupa, in its final form, was completed during the reign of Kushana rulers who were devout Buddhists.

How to reach Chaneti 

Air: Nearest airport to Chaneti is at Chandigarh which is 83 km from Yamunanagar. Chandigarh airport is connected by flights with major cities in India.

Road: It takes 1 hour 30 minutes by road from Chandigarh to Yamunanagar which is 12 km from Chaneti. 

Rail: The nearest railway station to Chaneti is Jagadhri Railway Station at Yamunanagar. Lying on the popular Amritsar- Kolkata railway route Jagadhri Railway Station is well connected via rail with major cities and places in India you can board Golden Temple Mail from Hazrat NIzamuddin Railway Station in Delhi to reach Jagadhri Railway Station. 

Best Time to visit Chaneti 

Best Time to visit Chaneti is during the winter season when the daytime temperature is pleasant. 

Bucesvara Temple - Koravangala

                                             Bucesvara Temple - Koravangala / Image Credit

The Bucesvara temple (also spelt Buceswara, Bucheshwara or Bhucheshvara temple) is the main attraction of Koravangala, located 10 km from Hassan Railway Station in Karnataka. A fine specimen of the Hoysala architecture, this Shiva Temple was built in 12th Century A.D.

An inscription in the Buceswara temple states that the temple was built in 1173 AD to celebrate the coronation of Hoysala King Veera Ballala II (r. 1173–1220 CE).  

Monument Mitra Scheme to be revamped

Khajuraho

A revamped version of the Monument Mitra Scheme will be launched. Under the revamped scheme the Culture Ministry will go for partnerships with private firms for the upkeep of 1,000 ASI monuments.  The revamped scheme would be based on the Corporate Social Responsibilty (CSR) model. 

The Monument Mitra scheme entails adopting a heritage site and maintaining it.

The government is set to sign MoUs with partners for 500 sites under the revamped Monument Mitra scheme by August 15 when the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav ends.

Launched a few years ago under the Ministry of Tourism, the Monument Mitra scheme entails adopting a site for upkeep and other related activities.

 A few months ago the Monument Mitra scheme was transferred from the Ministry of Tourism and has now come under the ambit of the Ministry of Culture. The Culture Ministry would be projecting India as a “cultural superpower” during the year-long presidency of the G20.

The scheme will be based on corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Hampi, Mysuru selected for development under Swadesh Darshan 2.0

Hampi and Mysuru  in Karnataka have been selected for development under Swadesh Darshan 2.0. scheme.  

Mysuru and Hampi are among the 19 places identified across the eight states and UTs in India to be promoted under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme.

Ministry of Tourism has revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0  with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations, following a tourist and destination-centric approach. 

Swadesh Darshan Scheme

• Swadesh Darshan Scheme aims to promote, develop and harness the potential of tourism and integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits in India.
• It is a Central sector scheme launched in 2014-15 by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
• Under the scheme, the Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to the State government for the infrastructure development of circuits.

Thiruvananthapuram houses World's only palm-leaf manuscript museum

Located in the Kerala capital of Thiruvananthapuram, the recently opened Palm Leaf Manuscript Museum is the world’s first of its kind and deals exclusively with both obscure and celebrated tales of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom that comes lauded as Asia's first to defeat any European power on Indian Soil. 

The museum houses 187 manuscripts and other artefacts related to the erstwhile kingdom dating back to a period of 650 years till the end of the19th century. It also contains documents from the regions of Kochi and Malabar.

Accounts of the famous Battle of Colachel in 1741 AD between Travancore ruler Marthanda Verma (1729-58) and the Dutch East India Company are among the manuscripts of the museum. The battle resulted in the defeat of the European power by the valiant Travancore ruler at Colachel, 20 km northwest of Kanyakumari in present day Tamil Nadu 

This battle put an end to the expansionist designs of the Dutch in India and resulted in Travancore becoming Asia's first state to defeat a European power.

The museum houses eight galleries ready to be explored. These galleries represent different segments of Travancore history: ‘History of Writing’, ‘Land and people’, ‘Administration’, ‘War and peace’, ‘Education and Health’, ‘Economy’, ‘Art and culture’, and ‘Mathilakam Records’. 

These galleries also feature films and QR code technologies meant for securing information.

The museum is located in a three-century-old building that functions as the Central Archives under the state government. 

Palm Leaf Manuscript Museum is an invaluable introduction to the erstwhile Travancore kingdom. If you're interested in the history of the kingdom, this museum should be one of your stops in Kerala. 

Itmad- ud- Daulah’s tomb: Magnificent Mughal edifice

Built by Nur Jahan, wife of fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir, for her father, Itmad-ud- Daulah’s tomb is one of the earliest buildings in which pietra dura, a method of decorating the walls with floral designs studded with semi-precious stones, was used. Pietra dura is also used on a large scale in the Taj Mahal.

Also known as mini Taj, the structure is the first Mughal building built entirely from marble. Built between 1622 and 1628 it is also the first tomb to be built on the banks of the Yamuna.

Nur Jahan’s father Mirza Ghiyas Beg was given the title of Itmad- ud- Daulah (pillar of the state). He was the wazir (Prime minister) of the Mughal empire under Jehangir.