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Tiger population falls in Uttaranchal parks Dehradun:
Government officials have said that there has been a decline in
the number of tigers at the Corbett National Park. They, however, claimed
of taking steps to revive the population in the near future. Authorities
said the report showed Uttaranchal, home to the world famous Jim Corbett
and Rajaji National Park, had lost 10 tigers over the last four years
-- more than two tigers every year. "The situation in Uttaranchal is
better than other states and very satisfying. It is also a signal that
if we take proper care, there can be a 2-3 percent rise in tiger population,"
said Navprabhat, Forest Mnister of Uttaranchal. The population of the
endangered big cats in Uttaranchal fell to 241 from 245 last year. Authorities
said the latest census of tigers in Uttaranchal -- carried out in May
-- used cutting-edge technology such as camera traps and digital pugmark
technology for the first time in South Asia. There was uproar in the
country after reports in March that the entire tiger population at the
Sariska forest sanctuary had been wiped out by poachers, with fears
that the situation might be mirrored in other reserves across the country.
According to the last census carried out in 2003, there were an estimated
143 tigers in the Corbett Park. Wildlife experts say an estimated 1,500
tigers have been poached in the past decade. In the last year alone
there have been around a 100 reported cases of tiger poaching. In April,
the environment ministry said poachers had killed at least 114 tigers
between 1999 and 2003 and another 59 tigers had died of natural causes
during that period. A century ago, there were some 40,000 tigers in
India. Now, officials estimate there are about 3,700 although some environment
groups put the number at fewer than 2,000. Trade in dead tigers is illegal
but poachers still operate with impunity because a single animal can
fetch up to 50,000 dollar in the international market. Organs, teeth,
bones and penises fetch high prices in the black market, where they
are used in Chinese medicine. Gangotri glacier facing environmental threat due to pilgrims rush (Go to Top) Gangotri (Uttaranchal): The heavy footfall of a large number of pilgrims visiting the hills around the Gangotri Glacier, where the River Ganga emerges, is increasingly becoming a threat to the environment. Gangotri village, once housed a temple and a few simple places to stay, but now it is turning out to be an environmental nightmare. Its famous waterfall is now surrounded by hotels coming up over deforested land. The commercialisation of the area is polluting the river and causing the glacier to melt. In recent years, the glacier has been retreating and the implications for the country are frightening. Glaciers are the major source of country's fresh water. Experts feelt that if the glaciers melt faster than they form, which means shortages and drought downstream, sometime in the next millennium, the holy Ganga could even dry up. In the past 50 years, the ice has been melting five times faster than before. People are largely to blame for the environmental degradation. Tourists and thousands of pilgrims travel the precarious mountain roads and trails to get here. Residents of the area feel that the melting of the glacier and the degradation of environment is due to Government's commercial promotion of the Gangotri region. "First, the government should close down all hotels there. They are also selling land over there. This all should be stopped and then the pilgrims should be told not to venture there," said Vidhachal Samwal, a Hindu priest. Many of the welfare organisationsforsee the present situation grimly. They feel that the Gaumukh Glacier will cease to exist if the Central Government does not tak remedial measures quickly. "I had requested the Uttaranchal Government many times to look into this matter. In August, I shall go to Delhi and will stay put till the time the government agrees to take measures to save the Gaumukh Glacier." said Shanti Thakur, a social worker. As one of the holiest places in Hinduism, the human burden here won't get any lighter. Tourism will grow too. The
only solution of the problem is to convince people to take care of the
surroundings. Several welfare organistions have stepped in to create
awareness in pilgrims about the need to preserve the environment. Banners
have been placed along the route to take proper care of the environment.
With reports claiming that the Gaumukh glacier is melting rapidly, there
are now calls for restricting pilgrim movement to Gangotri only. But,
pilgrims feel that this mopve will hurt the religious sentiments of
many. "We must bring the holy water from where it originates and then
offer it in the temple where we have taken the pledge to do so. But,
I agree that we must take care not to pollute the environment.We all
know that this is wrong," said Naresh Kumar, a pilgrim. Over the years,
the number of pilgrims has increased from 100,000 two decades back,
to about 500,000 in the last three years. The pilgrimage concludes in
July. Come Shravan, the auspicious monsoon month of July-August in the
Hindu calendar, and lakhs of saffron-clad pilgrims are seen thronging
Gangotri and Gaumukh. The Hindu pilgrims, also known as "Kanwarias",
arrive barefoot from all over the country and converge on the banks
of the Ganges to collect its waters annually. Tradition has it that
the pot containing the Ganges water must not touch the ground till the
time of consecration. Charitable organisations put up makeshift stands
where the pots can be kept. All along the route to Haridwar, voluntary
organisations put up food and medical stalls to cater to the pilgrims.
Pilgrims return to their hometowns with the collected holy water and
offer it to the statues of Lord Shiva as a gesture of thanksgiving. Ramanathapuram
Palace revives ancient paintings (Go to Top) Ramanathapuram
(Tamil Nadu): A heritage building, Ramanathapuram palace of Tamilnadu
has been brought back to its past glory by renovation of the mural paintings
depicting the historical days of King Sethupathy's reign by the Tamil
Nadu State Archaeological department. The Ramalinga Palace was built
in the late 17th century and belonged to the Sethupathi Rajas who were
the traditional guardians of Ramanathapuram, located on Rama's mythical
passage to Lanka. "Historically, this palace is important for two reasons.
First being that this was the palace where Lord Rama stayed with his
wife Sita when he brought her from Lanka. And the second being that
this was the Capital city of Sethupathy kingdom. The lifestyle and the
important events of the Kingship have all been preserved with the help
of mural paintings for more than 300 years now," says S. Mahalnathan,
a member belonging to the King's family. Historical records suggest
that the building was constructed during the Kizhavan Sethupathy regime
and the main attraction of the Palace are the giant mural paintings
donning its walls. These mural paintings require special attention.
The paintings and the architecturally rich buildings were on the verge
of ruin due to seepage of rainwater. Realising the danger to the historical
treasure, the Central Government allotted 16 lakh rupees for the face-lift
of the palace. The work has almost been completed and the mural paintings
have got a fresh lease of life. "This historically important palace
was neglected from a long time but now we are happy that at least some
renovation and maintenance work is being done to preserve," said S.
Mahalnathan. These paintings in the palace make the visit to this palace
worthwhile. Apart from the mural paintings, the traditional weapons
of Sethupathy kings and their soldiers have also been placed for public
viewing now which was not so earlier. Rajasthan's
Heritage Monuments available for 'adoption' (Go to Top) Jaipur:
Rajasthan Government has introduced an innovative "Adopt-a-Monument"
scheme to conserve the treasure of Heritage Monuments in the State through
pubic and private investment. This scheme, being first of its kind,
is likely to take care of maintenance and development of monuments.
"Adopt-a-monument" scheme facilitates an individual; a businessman or
corporate, to conserve a monument by contributing resources," says Vinod
Jutshi, Tourism Officer, Rajasthan. Under the programme the adopting
party would be allowed to use these places of antiquity for their promotional
campaigns. Under this scheme, a monument will be entrusted to the caretaker
for a minimum period of 10 years while Government agencies will be responsible
for the conservation work. Hawa Mahal, which is currently under the
supervision of the State's archaeological department, is first among
such monuments to be adopted by a private company. Built in 1799 by
Emperor Sawai Pratap Singh, the palace is the most stunning in the city,
and is one of the 260 monuments that have been identified for sponsorship.
This world famous landmark of Jaipur is the best-known specimen of fanciful
architecture. At first glance it looks rather whimsical in design. The
palace, which is part of a huge complex, was originally built to offer
women of the court, a vantage point to view the daily activities in
the surrounding markets and nearby streets. The five-storey, pyramid-shaped
structure, the facade of which gives a look of a screen, is made up
of small casements, each with tiny windows and arched roofs with hanging
cornices, exquisitely modelled and carved. Every year, the city, which
is known for its ethnicity, is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists.
While flocking the city some tourists say, the adoption would definitely
help preserve the monument for future generations. "If the renovation
work requires anything to change, which is very subtle, then I think
it will be a very good idea. Because it is a bit random in parts and
it could be kept a little bit cleaner. But, only a subtle changes would
be good, nothing major," said Jakie Doize, a tourist from South Africa.
"I think it will be just to make sure that it lasts longer for more
tourists and Indians to come and see the monument for many years to
come," said Edwin Geofry, another tourist from South Africa. Structure near Taj Mahal unearthed (Go to Top) Agra: Archaeologists have found a new structure adjoining the Taj Mahal which according to preliminary investigations served as a rest house for travellers. The discovery was made during excavations to determine original water-levels surrounding the Taj Mahal. "Excavations were being conducted to study original water-levels here. We have found one tank in the center of the hall, and a whole water channel system. There was a riverbank here and travellers would have come down to this rest house that consists of a water system. We are making further excavations to enable us to review the entire system and find out the actual purpose of the place," said D.Dabhalan, chief archaeologist of the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI), Excavations are being done since April this year and the ASI has employed nearly 35 assistants to conduct the them. Shyam Singh, who retired as an archaeologist with the ASI, said there was a likelihood of finding more such structures. "There is a possibility that we find more structures on the eastern side and on the other bank of the Yamuna. While there has been talk of the Black Taj Mahal, we have actually found evidence of the pleasure gardens and several other elements like the central tanks. These have been developed after 1996. It is possibile that we may find more structures on both sides," he said. Many people believe that corresponding to the sparkling white Taj, Shah Jehan had planned to build another Taj Mahal in black marble, which was to be his own tomb on the opposite bank of the river Yamuna. The irreular position of the cenotaph of Shah Jehan as compared to that of Mumtaz Mahal is said to be proof of this assumption. Many
Scholars, however, believe that this is a myth and has no relation to
truth. Archaeologists have also ruled out the possibility of the structure
being excavated resembling the "Sheesh Mahal" or Glass Palace inside
the Taj. At present there is no evidence to suggest the same. The Taj,
which stands on the banks of the Yamuna river, was built by the fifth
Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in 1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz
Mahal, who died while giving birth to their 14th child. No cost was
spared to make it the most beautiful monument the world had ever seen.
White marble and red sandstone, silver and gold, carnelian and jasper,
moonstone and jade, lapis lazuli and coral were fashioned by 20,000
skilled workers to make the emperor's dream a reality. It's Chief architect
was Ustad Isa Afandi who belonged to Iran. It took 17 years years to
complete this symbol of eternal love where Shahjehan too lies buried,
re-united at last with his beloved Mumtaz. Today, the Taj Mahal stands
serene and perfect in its garden of cypresses on the banks of the River
Yamuna. Its pure white marble shimmers silvery white in the moonlight,
soft pink at dawn, and at close of the day reflects the fiery tints
of the setting sun. The Taj in all its timeless beauty still inspires
poets and painters, writers and photographers. And lovers still meet
here in the moonlight in the shadow of the world's most famous monument
to love. |
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