Drops that make a city

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Shefali Tripathi Mehta, July 22, 2012

Shefali Tripathi Mehta sails through the many lakes of Bhopal, soaking up some history and pointing out to other sights of natural wonder along the way.

Bhopal, in the heart of central India with its lush forests and wildlife, is known as the city of lakes for the numerous natural and artificial lakes that highlight its beauty and pleasant climate. Besides the two better-known Upper (Bada) and Lower (Chota) lakes, the Motia Talab, the Shahpura Lake and the Hussain Baksh Ki Talaiya form a vital hub of the city’s social, cultural and historic milieu.

History has it...

There is an old saying about the Upper Lake of Bhopal, “Taalon mein taal Bhopal ka taal, baaqi sab tallaiya,” which loosely means that all the rest are ponds compared to it. The largest artificial lake in Asia, it sits in the heart of the city and winds its way around its south-western hills to flow away into the River Kaliasote.

In the 11th century, Raja Bhoj, the Parmara King of Malwa who ruled from Dhar, founded the city of Bhojpal, which later came to be known as Bhopal. Legend has it that he was advised to bathe in the waters of 365 rivers to cure him of an ailment. So 365 tributaries were made to converge and the Upper Lake was formed by constructing a clay dam across the Kolans river.

Till the early 16th century, Bhopal was a small village in the kingdom of the Gond tribes. The exquisitely beautiful Gond Queen Rani Kamlapati, who ruled from Ginnaur, was said to float around the Lower Lake of Bhopal on moonlit nights on a lotus-shaped barge.  Her life and rule ended abruptly when she hired an Afghan mercenary, Dost Mohammed Khan, to avenge the killing of her husband, Nizam Shah Gond. Dost Mohammed usurped her throne and invited her into his harem, leaving her with no other choice but to jump into the lake to save her honour. The ruins of her palace overlooking the Lower Lake still stand. The scary tales of her spirit lingering there kept us, as kids, away from the southern part of what is known as the Kamala Park. 

The city of undulating hills runs in a horseshoe around the Upper Lake, leaving it free in the southwest to blend into the horizon and display breathtaking sunsets each evening. The tranquil beauty of these sunsets is best enjoyed from the vantage points atop the two high hills on either side of the lake — the Shymala and the Idgah Hills. Just as the sun dips and the skies darken, the twinkling city lights in the valley town below present another quiet spectacle.

The Van Vihar National Park runs along the lake in the south and the wooded Takia island, a small island with the tomb of the Shah Ali Shah Rahamatullah, adds ethereal beauty to it. The lake is a haven for migratory birds like the white stork, the black-necked stork, the bar-headed goose, the spoonbill and the majestic Indian sarus crane.

Boating wasn’t such a common thing to do in our lakes back then. Some boats on the Lower Lake offered the recreation, but the pucca Bhopalees were content to watch. We were careful to not linger for too long after dark at the then ‘unsafe’ road along the Upper Lake up to the Yatch Club.

Now there is a swank new boulevard with neat flower beds and painted rails along the length of the Upper Lake. Dotted with restaurants and ice cream stalls, balloon sellers and peanut vendor carts, the scene in the evenings is more of a fair. India’s first National Sailing Club has been set up at the Boat Club and offers water skiing and para-sailing among other water sports. Motor boats zoom across the lake and an artificial rotating fountain spins on it at sundown.

Towards the north, where the ruins of forts and palaces of the old city dipped their feet into its waters, the VIP Road runs along the lake, connecting the city to the international airport. In 2011, the government gifted the city a statue of the tribal king, Raja Bhoj, which stands in the lake. The lake was also renamed ‘Bhoj Taal’ in his honour.

Among the other notable lakes, in the north of the city, are the Motia Talab, the Hussain Baksh Ki Talaiya and the Noor Mahal Talab, all within the precincts of the historic Taj Mahal Palace. The placid Motia Talab reflects like a mirror, the crown among mosques, the Tajul Masajid. In the posh, new part of the city is the Shahapura Lake constructed in the 1970s. Home to an amazing variety of resident and migratory birds, it is an oasis among the concrete human settlements. There are several other seasonal lakes dotting the landscape and adding charm to this beautiful city of lakes.

Barrier-free Sanchi

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by Shefali Tripathi Mehta, Mar 11, 2012 : Heritage

School and college trips invariably took us to Sanchi, just a few hours from Bhopal. We looked forward to such trips, except for the history lessons. And god knows how difficult it is to run from history when in Sanchi. So, I am not ashamed to confess that we found Sanchi rather monotonous. Also, in those days, the landscape was stark and even the winter sun felt harsh. But history grows slowly on some.

During subsequent visits, the ‘book in stone’ was slowly deciphered and devoured. Insight alone leads to appreciation. Yes, I could see the yakshini with the ‘bobbed hair’, discern the danam in Sanskrit engraved before the names of thousands of donors and take in the stories from the life of Buddha, beautifully etched in stone. History began to pulsate.

How did Sanchi, this sleepy, little remote town in a remote part of Madhya Pradesh come to be such an important Buddhist landmark? Curiously, I discovered that Sanchi had more to do with the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka the Great, than with the life of Buddha.

Ashoka’s first brush with Buddhism happened when he was sent by his father, Emperor Bindusara, to suppress an uprising in Ujjain. Ashoka was injured in battle and was nursed in hiding by Buddhist monks and nuns. Among his caregivers was Devi, a follower of Buddhism and the daughter of a merchant from the neighbouring town of Vidisha, whom he had married. Devi, one of Ashoka’s many wives, was also the mother of his children Mahindra and Sanghamitra, who later took Buddhism to Sri Lanka.

After Ashoka turned benevolent witnessing the bloodshed of Kalinga, he published his edicts — his policies of rule based on ahimsa, mercy, respect for all religions; and examples of leading an enlightened life — on pillars that were erected all over his kingdom. Over the centuries, as Buddhism declined in India, much of the ancient Buddhist monuments fell to ruins. In 1818, a British General, Mark Taylor, discovered on a small hill in Sanchi, obscured by thick foliage, a great Buddhist stupa and almost 50 other ancient stone structures around it.

The stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars of Sanchi date from the 3rd century BC to the 12th century AD. The ‘Great Stupa’ at Sanchi is the oldest stone structure in India and was originally commissioned by Ashoka in the 3rd century BC. At 16 m in height and 36 m in diameter, it stands majestically with a paved procession path, walkway or pradakshina, and four exquisitely carved gateways in four directions. A balustrade encircles the entire structure. The carvings on each of the four gateways depict stories from Buddha’s life — the Jataka tales, Buddha’s renunciation of worldly life and enlightenment, the dream of maya, and his incarnations.

There are two other prominent stupas, a great stone food bowl, many temples and monasteries. The Ashokan pillar with its crown of the four lions, which has been adopted as India’s national emblem, is also among these. Only the highly polished shaft of the pillar remains here, though the crown has been removed to the museum.

My renewed interest in this UNESCO World Heritage site arose from it being recently made completely barrier-free and disabled-friendly, thanks to the efforts of a Bhopal-based voluntary organisation, Arushi.

What does it mean to make a historical site, a tourist spot, barrier-free when stepping out anywhere else in this country cannot guarantee such? Most roads have been widened to make place for more cars. Pavements for walkers are non-existent. Every few steps of public walking space is riddled with danger for the disabled — missing sewer covers, dug-out drains, uneven surfaces littered with muck and debris. How it must constrain the daily lives of persons with disabilities to access any public space — cinema, bank, railway station or library where there are no ramps or railings?

The stupas are now completely wheelchair accessible and have signages and information plaques in Braille, special tactile walkways, beepers and a Braille map that allow people with disabilities too to experience the splendour of the monuments.

The staff and the guides at the stupas have also been trained and sensitised towards the needs of tourists with disabilities, including wheelchair users and those with visual impairment. It is a befitting tribute to the benign emperor who bequeathed the teachings of Buddha to posterity. By creating an inclusive environment at this site, we honour the ideals of equality and humanism that these great lives exemplify.