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| Mar 22, 2007 |
Reforms trickling, poverty dips
NEW DELHI: Poverty has come down over the decade of reforms, but a fifth to a quarter of the population still remains poor, according to the latest estimates of poverty released by the government here on Wednesday.
Further, the rural-urban gap in poverty has narrowed — the respective shares of the poor in the total population for urban and rural India are closer to each other than ever before. According to one estimation procedure, the proportion of population below the poverty line has fallen to 21.8% in 2004-05, down from 26.1% in 1999-2000.
According to another estimation procedure, the poverty ratio for 2004-05 stood at 27.5%. As per the same procedure, 36% of Indians were poor in 1993-94, 38.7% in 1987-88 and 44.8% in 1983-84.
Surprisingly, the least poor state is Jammu and Kashmir (where 5.4% of the population is poor). The dubious distinction of being the poorest state goes to Orissa, where 46.4% people are poor. Other states with poverty ratio less than 15% are Kerala (15%), Delhi ( 14.7%), Goa (13.8%), Haryana (14%), Punjab (8.4%), Himachal Pradesh (10%) and Mizoram (12.6%).
States where one-third or more of the population is poor are Madhya Pradesh (38.3%), Uttarkhand (39.6%) Jharkhand (40.3% ), Chhatisgarh (40.9%) and Bihar (41.4%). UP has clocked a poverty ratio of 32.8%.
Poverty is estimated from consumption data obtained by the National Sample Survey Organisation through its surveys. The latest comprehensive survey of consumption expenditure was carried out over 2004-05 (the 61st round of NSS). The comparable previous survey was for 1993-94. In between, a thin survey for 1999-2000 also yielded indicative estimates of poverty. Thedifferent estimation procedures depend on the period of recall of consumed items in the survey.
There is a marginal difference in the poverty levels of urban and rural India with poverty ratio of 28.3% in the rural areas and 25.7% in the urban areas in 2004-05. The difference in poverty levels of urban and rural areas has actually shrunk from 1993-94 levels. The poverty ratio in the rural and urban areas in 1993-94 was 37.3% and 32.4%, respectively.
While the average divide in poverty levels of rural and urban India is not much, in some states the divide is rather stark. For instance, in rural areas of Jharkhand, 46.3% of the people live below the poverty line in comparison to 20.2% in the urban areas.
In some states like Madhya Pradesh, the urban areas are poorer than the rural areas. In rural Madhya Pradesh, the poverty ratio is 36.9% compared to 42.1% in urban parts of the state.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/Economy/Indicators/Reforms_trickling_poverty
_dips/articleshow/1790883.cms
War on poverty: rural India fares better
New Delhi, Mar 21 India's 15-year old economic reforms programme got a shot in the arm on Wednesday with the Planning Commission estimating a marked decline in poverty levels across the country from 36% in 1993-94 to 27.5% in 2004-05. This estimate is based on consumption distribution using a 30-day recall— called Uniform Recall Period —and is culled out from the National Sample Survey Organisation's (NSSO's) large sample survey for household consumption expenditure during July 2004-June 2005.
Another estimate, which includes expenditure on infrequently purchased items like clothing, footwear and durable goods also and then uses a 365-day recall period — called Mixed Recall Period (MRP) – shows that poverty levels have declined from 26.1% in 1999-2000 to 21.8% in 2004-05.
What is more striking is that the reduction of poverty is substantially higher in the rural sector. URP estimates —which are comparable —show that rural poverty declined by 9 percentage points to 28.3% in 2004-05 from 376.3 in 1993-94, while urban poverty went down by only 6.7 percentage points to 25.7% during the same period. Gains have been impressive in recent years.
As per the MRP estimates for the period from 1999-2000 to 2004-05 (the data is not strictly comparable), the poverty levels in rural areas dropped 5.3 percentage points to 21.8% while the fall was less than half or 1.9 percentage points to 21.7% in urban India.
Another impressive gain is that strife-torn Jammu & Kashmir has become the state with the lowest poverty level (5.4%) as per the URP estimates. But the MRP rankings push J&K to the second position with Chandigarh topping the chart with a poverty level of just 3.8%.
The most poverty stricken regions are those with a predominantly large share of tribal population. Those with higher poverty levels as per the MRP estimates include Orissa (39.9%), Jharkhand (34.8% ), Bihar (32.5%), Madhya Pradesh (32.4%) and Chhattisgarh (32%).
www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=158596
Tremor felt in Ranchi
Ranchi, March 22: An earthquake of moderate intensity was felt at several places in Pathari Bagh area of Jharkhand last night, Sahara Samay sources said.
According to the channel, the quake was felt in many districts of the state for about five minutes. Locals told that they felt it for five minutes.
However, there was no loss of human lives and damage to property due to the tremor, they added.
Local administration told that the tremor was felt at around 10 p.m.
http://www.saharasamay.com/samayhtml/articles.aspx?newsid=72282
Coca-Cola India launches slew of water mgmnt initiatives
In keeping with Coca-Cola's philosophy on water stewardship and working towards improving the quality of life of the community at large, Coca-Cola India is launching a slew of water management initiatives on March 22, 2007, the World Water Day.
Over the next three days Coca-Cola India will dedicate 10 new completed rain water harvesting units across India including Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Jamshedpur, Jaipur, Bhubaneshwar and in parts of Maharashtra. Continuing with its 4R policy of Reduce, Recycle, Reuse and Recharge towards water sustainability, Coca-Cola India will revive the historic Lehartala pond in Varanasi, start 10 RWH projects in Jamshedpur with Rotary Club and 20 recharge shafts in Jaipur, expansion of RWH project in Oval Maidan and University campus in Mumbai, RWH structure at MIDC project in Nasik, Roof Top RWH project in Barabanki and Gurgaon. All these projects have being launched in association with regional and national NGOs, State and District administrations.
According to Atul Singh, President & CEO, Coca-Cola India, "We at Coca-Cola are committed to refresh the lives of communities on an every day, all day basis. As part of the same strategy, sustainable water management remains our top priority. We will continue to find innovative solutions in all areas of water management through our integrated 4 R strategy. Starting in 2000, over the last seven years, we have taken the lead in improving water use efficiency by nearly 30% in our operations across India."
Partnership with CII
Coca-Cola India has partnered with CII in New Delhi including school children and policy makers in a movement to create awareness on water conservation. On 22nd March '07, the day long programme will include water awareness march, painting and slogan writing competitions involving children and also panel discussion.
The celebrations will culminate in a special function 'Jal Tarang' - A festival to celebrate water & culture, organized by the NGO, FORCE and Coca-Cola India to commemorate World Water Day. The event will bring together hundreds of members from various Resident Welfare Associations (RWA). The initiative will also involve participation from the youth including children.
Creating Awareness
The Company has also focused on spreading awareness on water conservation & sustainability through seminars, workshops, local programs and through partnerships with various reputed institutions across the country. After having launched an innovative Water Calendar for 2007,Coca-Cola India will now launch regional version of "Harness the Flow", a film on Water Conservation produced by 'Counterpoint' in association with Central Ground Water Board. The film focuses on the problems of ground water and offers innovative solutions for removal of fluoride and arresting decline in ground water table. The film will be telecasted on regional TV channels. To further drive the message of water management, Coca-Cola India has also announced the inclusion of a special chapter on 'Nature & Environment' in the prestigious Limca Book of Records.
Partnership with Rotary - Elixir Of Life
Coca-Cola India in partnership with Rotary International has also launched "Elixir of Life", a unique project to provide potable water to school children. This path-breaking project will provide clean drinking water to over 30,000 students in 100 Primary and Panchayat schools through installation of water-filtration systems.
Other Key Partnerships
Coca-Cola India in partnership with local communities, NGOs, Central and State Ground Water Boards has already commissioned over 270 RWH structures in 17 states in the country while also rejuvenating traditional water bodies like the 400 year old historical Baawdi- Sarai Baawdi and Kale Hanuman Ki Bawaadi in Rajasthan. Coca-Cola Foundation supports watershed development initiative in Dungarpur, Rajasthan and Tirunvelli in Tamilnadu with ICRISAT and CII. In the last few years, Coca-Cola has invested in a range of water management projects and has played a stewardship role in water management in India.
Coca-Cola and Citizenship
The Coca-Cola Company has always placed high value on good citizenship. At the heart of business is a mission statement called the Coca-Cola Promise -- "The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone that it touches." This basic proposition means – that the company's business should refresh the markets, protect, preserve and enhance the environment and strengthen the community. Coca-Cola India provides extensive support for community programs across the country, with a focus on education, health and water conservation.
http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/pressnews/cocacolaindiawatermanagement/
cocacolaindiala/market/stops/article/272762
Exam paper leaked
GAYA: One of the four sets of the English question paper of the ongoing secondary examination was leaked in Gaya.
Xerox copies of the solved questions were recovered from the Gewalbigha locality of the town well before the commencement of the examination on Wednesday morning.
A similar solved answer sheet in another hand writing was later found from the floor of the Gaya College centre.
According to DSP(city) Amjad Ali, a case has been filed in this connection with the Rampur police station and investigation is on.
No arrest has been made so far in this connection, as the solved answers were found abandoned.
The police officials investigating the case are yet to trace the source of the leak. The leakage has put a question mark on the sanctity of the conduct of fair examinations.
About 35,000 examinees are appearing in the district and 22,000 of the examinees are appearing at centres located in Gaya town itself.
It is also not known whether the leaked questions were transmitted to other parts of the state.
The Bihar School Examination Board is likely to take action and consider cancellation of the examination after receiving a report from the Gaya DM.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Patna/Exam_paper_leaked/articleshow/
1790921.cms
West Bengal: Farm vs factories
The CPM partners in the Left Front, presently ruling in Kerala and Tripura and supporting the UPA Government at the Centre, are publicly pressing for a change in the land acquisition policy- Insaf
West Bengal's Nandigram, a little known village until recently, has cast a long shadow on the industrialization plans of various States through the establishments of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Even though the Centre has already cleared more than 400 SEZs across the country, the State Governments are increasingly under pressure from the farmers to reconsider their decisions to acquire farm lands for factories. In the light of the horrendous toll inflicted by police firing on farmers and their families protesting against the acquisition of agricultural land, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has announced not only his Government's decision to shift the chemical SEZ project site from Nandigram but also to put on hold other projects. In fact, the CPM partners in the Left Front, presently ruling in Kerala and Tripura and supporting the UPA Government at the Centre, are publicly pressing for a change in the land acquisition policy.
Farmers in Orissa, Maharashtra and Haryana have already taken up cudgels against the decision to acquire farm lands for setting up SEZs. In Orissa, confrontation between the villagers to be displaced and the State Government is growing what with the opposition taking cue from the violence in West Bengal. They have taken a hard stance against the Tata Steel project to be set up at Gopalpur and also protested against the Aluminium project in Rayagada district. Up in the North, a farmers' lobby, headed by former Chief Ministers Om Prakash Chautala and Bhajan Lal, has taken up cudgels against Haryana CM Bhupinder Hooda for his Government's decision to acquire farm lands for several SEZ proposals. Similar lobbies have also cropped up in Punjab and Maharashtra, even as trouble is brewing in the other States. Lending strong support is the statement of the IT Czar, Narayana Murthy, from Bangalore opposing farmland for SEZs.
http://www.centralchronicle.com/20070323/2303303.htm
We will give our blood, but not our land
A week after the fighting, the gouges left by the police bullets are still fresh on the trunks of the coconut palms. On the ground, a few feet away, an Indian villager points to two dark patches. "Blood," he says.
Were it not for this evidence of death, the scene in this rural outpost of West Bengal is that of the perpetual rural idyll, with glowing-green rice paddies, jute-thatched roofs and children splashing in the village pond.
However, last week, in a clash with police which cost 14 lives, the villagers of Nandigram district won a victory that threatens to derail the biggest push for economic and industrial development since India won independence 60 years ago.
It came after six months of resistance against government plans to compulsorily purchase the villagers' land to make way for a 10,000-acre industrial park meant for an Indonesian chemicals giant.
The proposed park, or Special Economic Zone, was intended to be part of a flagship nationwide strategy to attract investors to India, offering them generous tax holidays in exchange for much-needed inward investment.
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Hoping to emulate the success of such schemes in China, India's government has granted in-principle approval for more than 260 such 'SEZs', but India's rural poor are resisting the rush for development at every turn.
"As long as we live, we will never give up our land," says Sanjeev Mal, a 30-year-old farmer, "We are happy here. We don't want factories, we just want to live in peace."
In the hospital at the nearest town, where some of the 152 victims of the police action are being treated for their wounds, the people simmer with anger and defiance.
"We were saying our prayers when the police attacked us," said a 26-year-old tailor Sheikh Sultan, "first it was tear-gas, then it was bullets. We will give our blood but never our land."
Over the past year similar cries of protest against the SEZ scheme have been rumbling the length and breadth of India, from Haryana in the north to Maharashtra in the south, but the killings at Nandigram have marked a watershed.
After the shootings the local Communist government of West Bengal, which has won plaudits from international big business for its Chinese-style attempts to attract investment, announced it was cancelling the Nandigram SEZ project.
"This is a great victory for the common man," said Sayad Abdul Samad, an activist who helped organise the resistance, "Our people have already suffered one Imperial land-grab under the British and now it has happening again. But we will never give in."
At the heart of the people's grievance is the belief that what is good for multi-national businesses and the educated elites of urban India will not be good for them.
S.K Tripathi, a local teacher attending to the injured at the hospital, said that the government had utterly failed to convince the farmers that the promised jobs, wealth and investment would benefit them.
"Most of these people are poor and illiterate, so what use is a chemical plant to them? The only jobs they will get there is as a chowkidar [security guard] or sweeper [cleaner], why should they give up their ancestral lands for that?"
The generous terms of the SEZ scheme, have attracted criticism far beyond the villagers whose lands stand to be overtaken in the name of industrial development and national progress. An IMF report has described the 10-year tax holidays as "perverse" while clauses exempting companies from India's labour laws and environmental restrictions have been labeled "unconstitutional" by opposition groups.
"We call these Special 'Exploitation' Zones," said Debajit Dutta, a member of India's National Alliance of People's Movements which campaigns against the zones, "they are places where the workers have no protections.
"We believe these SEZs will do nothing for India's rural poor, they will only make the real estate speculators and the shareholders of the big multi-national corporations richer."
The killings at Nandigram have therefore added fuel to an already volatile political debate in India over the speed and direction of the reforms, which began in 1991 and are credited with kick-staring the current economic boom.
India's government, led by Dr Manmohan Singh, the architect of those reforms, has already bowed to the hard reality of Indian mass-democracy, issuing new guidelines aimed at making the SEZ's more palatable to the people.
In recent months economists have warned that India's economy - already over-heating as inflation touches 7 per cent – could run into serious trouble if more money is not pumped into the country's crumbling ports, roads, and power-stations.
The SEZ's are intended to address that issue, but while China's autocratic leaders may be able to force through such schemes, India's politicians must work with a long history of democracy and fierce grass-roots political activism.
"They have to convince the people that taking so much land is really necessary," says Mr Dutta, gesturing at the paddy-fields while sipping on a fresh green coconut handed him by a villager, "but so far, they have failed."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/22/wganges22.xml
Airtel To Augment Network In Bengal
At the beginning of 2006-07, it had only 1,000 cell sites, but, now with an investment of over Rs 450 crore, it stands at 2,200.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007: Kolkata: Good news for Airtel subscribers in Bengal. The company will soon enhance its network connection throughout the state. In the next quarter of 2007, the company will gear up for 1,000 sites as one of its most aggressive network expansion plans in Bengal. Airtel subscribers were irritated by frequent call drops, network congestion and no coverage black spots, so the company decided to improve its network.
At the beginning of 2006-07, it had only 1,000 cell sites, but, now with an investment of over Rs 450 crore, it stands at 2,200.
Ajay Puri, CEO (mobility), Bharti Airtel, Bengal, said, "Deeming the demand, we added 1,100 cell sites last fiscal. And in the next four months, we plan to add the same amount. This would require an incremental coverage expansion of 400 to 500 towns." He said, in February 2007, the company added around 70 sites in Jalpaiguri, Haldia, Midnapore, Coochbehar, Nadia, Siliguri, Asansol and Purulia. TRAI's latest report on congestion levels and quality of service (QoS) reveals that Bengal and Kolkata are among the worst affected in the country.
In Bengal, private mobile operators rarely share infrastructure among themselves or with BSNL, which leads to high congestion levels, call drops (when the line gets disconnected while talking) and black spots (no coverage). As part of Airtel's in-building solutions (IBS) for enhanced indoor coverage in buildings of importance such as hospitals, airports and Eden Gardens, around 120 buildings have been covered in the city. In the next quarter, Puri said the IBS will be rolled out in key buildings of other towns in the state such as Haldia, Siliguri and Durgapur.
Puri said, "A technology of special trans-receiver or TRX at each site will boost existing capacity of sites to accommodate more calls and data download as our customer base widens." He further added that another solution is the coverage on wheels (CoW). "This is a mobile base transceiver station, or BTS tower. Airtel has four such mobile BTS and another four will be added, each costing about Rs 1 crore in the next quarter."
http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnewsp.asp?edid=17966
Orissa on growth path: Governor
Bhubaneswar, Mar 21 Orissa is on the path of high economic growth. Giving a hint to this effect, the Orissa governor, Rameshwar Thakur, said on Wednesday that the state economy has registered a compound annual growth rate of 7.3% during the 10th Plan period as against 3.8% during 1990-2000. The target for the 10th Plan period was 6.2%.
The state's own GSDP ratio has increased from 4.7% in 1999-2000 to 7.9% in 2005-06. The state's total revenue as a percentage of GSDP has increased from 6.3% in 1999-2000 to 10.3% in 2005-06. As a result of prudent fiscal management, the state has been able to achieve a revenue surplus of Rs 418.19 crore in 2005-06 after a gap of 22 years, he added.
Stating that the state government has proposed an outlay of Rs 27,000 crore for the 11th Plan period, the governor said that the aim is to achieve an average annual growth rate of around%.
Tahkar was delivering his address on the opening day of the budget session of the state assembly on Wednesday amidst walkout by the Congress-led opposition.
"Orissa has already emerged as a major industrial estination," s ai d he governor, pointing out that the state has lined up 14 IPPs independent ower projects) of a total generation capacity of 6999mw.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=158633
GAIL seeks coal linkage for pilot project in Orissa
Mumbai, Mar 21 After the coal gasification projects carried out by ONGC-Coal India Ltd JV and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), it is the turn of Gail India, as it proceeds with a pilot coal gasification project at Talcher, Orissa. Gail India has appealed to the Union coal ministry to provide a long term coal linkage for the upcoming project with an investment of Rs 2,430 crore.
Sources told FE,that Gail India proposed to implement the project based on shell technology, and has projected a coal feed of 5,200 tonnes per day and a dolomite feed of 546 tonnes per day. The company has already completed the detailed feasibility report.
Sources said that Talcher has been evaluated as most suitable location for setting up the coal gasification plant.
Gail India has already initiated the process to sign a memorandum of cooperation with Coal India Ltd for jointly evaluating the project.
Furthermore, Gail India is in talks with the Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilisers and Deepak Fertilisers regarding a customer tieup for the use of synthesis gas.
The Talcher site has the capacity of 7.56 Million metric standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD) of synthesis gas. According to the feasibility report, the end use of the synthesis gas can be done as feed stock for ammonia through the same, is suitable for power generation and production of methanol and other liquids like diesel. The company has argued that the project implementation could be done after obtaining coal linkage.
www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=158644
Chhattisgarh tops investors' list, Maharashtra fails to secure place in first five destinations
Mumbai, Mar 21 Despite Maharashtra's claim of being the favoured destination for investments, it does not figure in the top five states attracting investments during January-December 2006. According to the data released by the department of industrial production and policy (DIPP) for January, the naxalaite infested Chhattisgarh has topped the list with 217 proposals with an investment of Rs 1,07,899 crore followed by Karnataka with 312 proposals worth Rs 71,813 crore, Orissa with 107 proposals with investment of Rs 69,409 crore, Gujarat with 568 proposals worth Rs 66,109 crore and Andhra Pradesh with 601 proposals with investment of Rs 43,455 crore.
According to the same data for statewise and financial yearwise investment intentions received during April-December 2006, Chhattisgarh retained its number one position with 164 proposals with investment of Rs 96,474 crore, Jharkhand with 240 proposals worth Rs 69,322 crore, Orissa with 84 proposals worth Rs 63,477 crore, Gujarat with 402 proposals worth Rs 51,408 crore, Andhra Pradesh with 456 proposals worth Rs 37,022 crore, Uttar Pradesh with 428 proposals worth Rs 32,369 crore and Maharashtra with 571 proposals worth Rs 31,719 crore.
However, the state government sources reiterated its claim that it has retained the status of first preferred destination for Indian and foreign investors. In his address to the state legislature on March 14, the state Governor SM Krishna said that during 1999-September last year, Maharashtra has received 13,594 proposals for industrial entrepreneurship memorandum,letters of intent and export oriented units with expected aggregate investment of Rs 3,14,000 crore.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=158584
Chhattisgarh cops were dead drunk
NEW DELHI: The outrage felt by Chhattisgarh's law-enforcement agencies over the Maoist massacre is slowly being spiked by a hint of sheepishness, if not shame. It turns out that many of those who were mowed down by the rebels wouldn't have found the competence to open retaliatory fire even if their guns had neon-lit arrows pointing to the trigger. A majority of them were dead drunk.
Six days after 55 policemen were killed in Dantewada, an internal inquiry has concluded that the victims, stationed at a women's hostel, were done in by the surprise element. That is, the Maoist marauders were surprised that their adversaries, instead of mounting a ruthless counteroffensive, slumped like the disoriented last customer at the bar.
The horror of loss is deepened by the realisation that the raid could have been thwarted. The report has determined that the men who died had disregarded a series of intelligence warnings of an imminent attack. In effect, they had let alcohol and cavalier attitude blunt their alertness.
"We had noticed heavy movement of Maoist cadre in the area and suspected an attack," said a senior officer involved in the inquiry.
"These men were like sitting ducks. They had no clue that an attack had taken place in their camp."
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1086386
Finding Sirpur
An intriguing aspect of the findings relates to the presence of statues belonging to Vaishnavite, Shaivite, Buddhist and Jain religions at one place. This is believed to be one of the biggest temple towns of the sixth and seventh centuries discovered anywhere so far.
Sirpur was a happening place 1,300 years ago. After centuries of remaining in oblivion, today it has captured its rightful place on the tourist map of Chhattisgarh. And all thanks to the excavations undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India, which has unearthed important Buddhist sites, the 6th-century Laxman Temple and a host of idols belonging to that period.
Standing on the banks of the Mahanadi in Mahasamund district, Sirpur or Shreepur was once the capital of Dakshin Kosala (as Chhattisgarh was then known).
We travelled through picturesque landscape on NH 6 to reach Sirpur, about 80 km from Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. The wooded expanse and the pristine air made the hour-and-a-half drive exhilarating. Our sojourn assumed a more purposeful air as a professor of History from Raipur, Shampa Choube accompanied us on the trip.
Merchants' halt
As we entered the hamlet of Sirpur, there was absolutely no sign that this was once a bustling and flourishing centre of trade that witnessed a constant stream of merchants from China! But yes, it was quite evident that the region was once home to astounding monuments and structures that had become buried under the sands of time. New temples have mushroomed everywhere, almost in clusters, on the shores of the Mahanadi. But our adrenaline levels peaked as we came within sight of the ruins that lay spread over a large area.
The excavations at Sirpur, spread over a 6-km radius of the village, continue to generate excitement in the world of history and archaeology. A mutilated idol here, some broken sculptures there... there's something surfacing every once in a while, adding to the treasure trove of archaeological finds.
Temple town
A Buddhist shrine.
An intriguing aspect of the findings relates to the presence of statues belonging to Vaishnavite, Shaivite, Buddhist and Jain religions at one place. This is believed to be one of the biggest temple towns of the sixth and seventh centuries discovered anywhere so far. According to archaeological sources, another unique feature here are the stone carvings depicting sexual activity among animals that are not seen even at Khajuraho or Ellora.
Having heard so much about the ruins of the Laxman temple, we proceeded there first. We were awestruck by its sheer size and structure and wondered how such a magnificent work could lay buried for so long a time! The temple is believed to be among the earliest in India built solely of bricks. It is also believed to be the only temple dedicated to Laxman, brother of Lord Rama.
The temple stands on a 6-ft-high platform and its entrance is adorned with several figures carved in stone. The doorframe is of stone and a figure of the reclining Vishnu on Sheshnag is seen on the lintel. The panels of the doorway are embellished with statues depicting the incarnations of Vishnu and his devotees. The high brick roof ends in an imposing shikhar or temple dome, the passage of time clearly writ on it.
A caretaker at the complex guided us to a shed-like structure at the back of the temple which functions as a `museum'. The place stacks rare statues, many of them badly mutilated, belonging to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. One headless piece in particular caught our attention as our guide explained that it was the Buddha. He informed us that the head would be plastered to the body in due course of time.
Remains of a Shiva temple
Renovation works are on at the Gandheshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and the Buddha Vihara, even as more idols continued to be unearthed at these sites. A metre-high statue of Buddha in the lotus position, belonging to the 6th century, is one of the largest finds at this site. Close by is the Ram temple, which is completely in ruins. A few stone foundation structures are all that remain of it. The Gandeshwar temple has today become the centre of an annual religious fair coinciding with Shivratri.
Historical evidence
The Laxman temple is believed to have been built in the 8th century by Vasata, the daughter of King Suryavarma of Magadh. Vasata was an ardent devotee of Vishnu and she built the temple in memory of her husband Harsha Gupta. Her son Mahashivagupta Balarjun, however, was the Shaivaite ruler credited with building the city of Shreepur — the City of Wealth — as the capital of the Mahakosala kingdom. Every religion, especially Buddhism, flourished under the royal patronage of Harsha Gupta and Balarjun. The latter also promoted architectural styles of every religion and several Buddhist monasteries with their intricate motifs sprung up during his reign.
Copperplate inscriptions and a Chinese coin unearthed at Sirpur indicate that trade was buoyant under Balarjun's rule and this brought with it exchanges of learning from neighbouring countries as well. Sirpur became an established centre of Buddhism between the 6th and 10th centuries and the Chinese traveller Hieun Tsang is believed to have visited the city.
Tsang's travelogue mentions Shreepur as having over a hundred Buddhist monasteries inhabited by over 10,000 monks belonging to the Mahayana sect. Present-day excavations have discovered some conch bangles, giving rise to the surmise that the monasteries were possibly inhabited by Bhikshunis or female monks as well.
Theories abound on the subsequent downfall of the thriving town — a civil war between Buddhists and Shaivites, invasions, declining trade and even floods.
Many rare idols are believed to have been stolen from Sirpur due to lack of proper security. One such piece, an idol of Goddess Tara, is believed to have been stolen in the mid-1960s and is currently housed in a US museum.
Once a flourishing centre of trade, today a veritable tourist's delight, a historian's palette... Sirpur however still remains a village that lacks proper communication and other infrastructure.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/life/2007/03/23/stories/2007032300200200.htm
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| Hot issues of Today |
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