|
Sasaram
has been fortunate enough to be associated with
many big names. The names of Shershah and
Jagjivan Ram are at the top.
It is the place where Shershah, one of the most
reformist emperors of India lies buried under a
tomb erected in an equally unique water
reservoir. As we know, a unique land settlement
reform came under his rule in India before Akbar,
the great. Shershah is also credited with
building the Grand Trunk Road that covered all
the way from Dacca to Peshawar or Kabul.
One from Bihar and that too from a village,
Pipra (Mardan Rai ka) near Sasaram, its
historical association with Shershah inspired me
since my childhood. My grandfather narrated a
miracle story of the tank in which the Shershah
tomb has been built. According to my
grandfather, he used to have his lodging in
Sasaram, when he was one of the few students
from our village in its only high school. At
that time, the tank was the main source of
drinking water for the residents of Sasaram. The
women of Kanhar or Kamkar caste used to carry
the multi-layers of pitchers with water in it
drawn from the tank from the bank without
getting into it in morning and evening. Bathing
in the tank was strictly prohibited.
One hot summer evening, an old hermit came
wandering and got into the tank to cool himself.
After getting the information, a constable came
in and took him to police station. It was
British rule at its best. The inspector couldn’t
take him to court for bail, as the court was
having summer timing working up to noon only.
The hermit pleaded a lot, but the inspector was
scared to take the law in his hand. The hermit
got angry, and cursed, ‘ You are punishing me
for my crime of entering the water body used for
drinking. But hereafter none will be able to use
the water in the tank for drinking.’ The
inspector didn’t take that seriously. Next day,
the hermit was presented to the English
magistrate. He warned but freed him after
hearing the honest statement of the hermit. The
hermit went out and disappeared. Very soon the
water got greenish and undrinkable. The
magistrate ordered for cleaning the tank and
filling with fresh water from the incoming
canal. But the trouble couldn’t be cured. The
women and men shifted to other tanks. My
grandfather believed in the story and recorded
the same in his diary too. I don’t know if I
should believe the story.
Every time I have passed through Sasaram, I try
to visit the tomb. It is so gigantic. Perhaps,
my grandfather had shown me this tomb for the
first time, when we were going to Calcutta from
the village. He impressed upon me how at the
time of construction some four hundred or more
years ago, the huge stone pieces forming the
walls would have been lifted so high in its
places during construction. Over the years, the
government’s tourism or the archeological
department has not done anything worth the
monument deserves. The surrounding all around
the tomb and tank could have been developed in a
manner that could have enhanced the utility of
the place for the locals as well as for the
tourists. We keep on talking about ‘the shining
India’ and ‘Incredible India’, but don’t do
anything. I got a chance to go around and take
some photographs of the Shershah’s tomb this
time too when I reached Sasaram from Varanasi by
road on April 20 en route to Patna where we were
going to attend a family marriage. The driver of
'Indica' that I had courtesy Gehlot my friend
from Noida agreed to take me around before going
to the hotel. Before Advocate brother, Surendra
Tiwari could reach the hotel we had made the
trip. It was the first time that I was staying
overnight in a hotel room because of my wife
Yamuna’s physical problems. Bypass for the
Golden Quadrilateral passing through Sasaram is
still not ready. The traffic moves through the
old GT Road going through the town, and the road
must be nightmare for the crawling vehicles of
all sorts.
Sasaram was the constituency of Babu Jagjivan
Ram and now his daughter, Meira Kumar. I don’t
know ‘why’ but none of them has done anything
for furthering this historical town and this
great monument. They visited the place and the
region only for getting elected as MP and
managed the win through local agents with
shellfish motives or goons. Some fanatics have
built a temple in one corner. The road around
the tomb is in poor shape and full with filth.
The tank cools now many a street urchins in the
hot summer. While going around this huge
monument, perhaps the most attractive one after
Taj Mahal from mediaeval India, many a times has
to put a handkerchief on one’s nose.
Why can’t Sasaram be taken up for status of a
world heritage town with many important
historical and mythological sites in near
vicinity all-round and its great history?
Why can’t Meira Kumar request her colleague of
her own part and minister, Ambika Soni to take
care of this unique monument through tourism
ministry? Why can’t she use some her MP fund to
develop the headquarter of her constituency?
Can Sasaram expect some improvements through its
local bodies, and through the DM and SP who are
the kings of this sleepy district headquarter?
|
Comments: |
Dear Indra,
Though I never visited this
historical sites, my youngest
grandfather has built house there to
live in and so some time in my
childhood I was there. I have heard
a story about the Shershah tomb.
There used to be an oil lamp inside
the tomb and it was on since time
immemorial. The source of oil is
said the oil tank behind the tomb.
It was connected to it through stone
made canal. But during British
period some over-enthusiast dug it
to know how it was giving light
since centuries. Since then it is
off. I think many mysterious stories
are linked with Sasaram and if one
analysed, new lights on that period
may be given.
Thanks for reminding me my childhood
once again. - Dr. V. K. Singh,
Chairman and Head, Department of
Chinese and Tibetan Languages,
Punjab University, Chandigarh - Apr.
30, 2007 |
|
Discussion on this topic is now
closed. |
Return to previous Page |
