Sun Dial on a Cloudy Day

If you drive through the Barapullah elevated road in Delhi, you cannot miss a huge blue-and-white signboard pointing to “The Sun Dial”, right at the centre of a park near Sarai Kale Khan.

During a routine morning walk earlier this month, incidentally on a cloudy day, I went to see it. The Sun Dial at Ring Road was built by the DDA as part of Commonwealth Games 2010 beautification drive. Its gnomon (projecting piece) is 12.7 metre high and 24.5 metre long, and has been certified as scientifically accurate by Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE).

The more famous Sun Dial in Delhi is part of the Samrat Yantra in Jantar Mantar, which was constructed in 1724 by the Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh II. It gives a fairly accurate local time, with a margin of error of 2 seconds. Between 1724 and 1730, he had built five observatories -- the other four in Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. 

The modern installation and the Sun Dial park built by DDA are quite good, but the problem is the approach road. It is an uneven dirt patch with a flyover on one side and a construction barrier on the other, and the entry is easy to miss. I was guided towards it by a woman who was taking rest in a ‘charpai’ below the flyover, flanked by two cows. The place can be made more popular with proper signage and regular workshops on astronomy for schoolchildren, which may include making of models of instruments like Samrat Yantra or Mishra Yantra.

Interestingly, there is a website called jantarmantar.org which has uploaded instructions manual for creating such paper models for astronomy enthusiasts. The website also has resource materials on the observatories and instruments made by Maharaja Jai Singh.

While Sun Dial used to be an important time-measuring instrument in earlier days, there are instances in history of use of a Moon Dial too. Queen's College, Cambridge, has a famous Moon Dial, though it is accepted by scientists that such a device is much more complicated and can never be fully accurate.

Roam alone: Wazirpur complex and Munirka Baoli

I just finished popular blogger Vikramjit Singh Rooprai's debut book "Delhi Heritage Top 10 Baolis". It turned out that I have not been to 3 of the 10 main stepwells of Delhi, stories of which have been narrated by the author. Hence, used an office holiday on Friday to visit one of them - Munirka Baoli in Wazirpur Gumbad Complex in R K Puram Sector 5.

The complex is well-maintained and clean. It is located just behind the main park in Sector 5 and is easily accessible. There were a few boys hanging around, two cleaners doing their bit for Swachcha Bharat and one lonely lawn-mowing guy at one end of the sprawling green garden. So, it was neither too crowded nor too deserted to make one feel unsafe.

Violet flowers, green butterflies and crystal-winged grasshoppers were giving company to old tombs and turrets. There are a total of five tombs, mostly of unknown Lodi-era persons, probably noblemen. The largest central tomb has been identified by some historians as of one Wazir Khan. The tombs, along with a temple and  gurdwara on either side of the site, make for a pretty panoramic picture.

The two-tier baoli and a wall mosque are on the other side of the park. I have taken a few pics of the stepwell, but one should refer to Mr Rooprai's book for better photographs and detailed descriptions. The book also mentions about stepwells in Delhi that are lost/inaccessible at present and discusses the possibility of connecting such historic water bodies with modern water circulation system.

In the land of the Bhagavad Gita

If you tell your acquaintances that you are planning a trip to Kurukshetra, the usual reaction will be that there is not much to see or do In the dusty Haryana town, except clicking pictures of the huge bronze chariot depicting Lord Krishna and Arjun near the Brahma Sarovar, and taking a dip in the holy lake during some auspicious occasion such as the Somvati Amavasya or solar eclipse.

But after a day-tour to Kurukshetra with a friend last Saturday, I disagree. If you, like myself, are obsessed with the Mahabharata, that great-great-grandfather of Game of Thrones, and an avid reader of mythological stories (not the Amish kind) then you cannot but feel excited when you see and read the scores of plaques installed on the banks of the huge Brahma Sarovar, narrating puranic episodes relating to the land of Kurukshetra since the time of King Kuru, the forefather of the warring brothers in the grand epic. Or when you hear that it is believed that this was the same lake where Duryodhan was hiding underwater on the concluding day of the war (but wasn’t that called Dwipayana Sarovar?). Or when you read that a village named Amin that your train passed through before reaching Kurukshetra was where the Chakravyuha was set up and Abhimanyu was killed by the seven “rathis”. Or when you visit the Ban-Ganga or Bhishma Kund and click the photo of a signboard that says that this was the spot where Pitamaha Bhishma lay on the bed of arrows, thirsty, as Arjun shot more arrows into the ground to let out a spring of water for him to drink.

It is like re-living the epic again and again.

Not going into the myth-vs-history debate, and taking Mahabharata purely as the greatest story ever told, there is actually a scope for developing parts of of Kurukshetra into a Wizarding World of Harry Potter-type theme city. A glimpse of what can be achieved can be found in the splendid panoramic depiction of all 18 days of the war in the Kurukshetra Panorama and Science Centre.

There is something for everyone in Kurukshetra. The devout can find his solace in the Sarveshawar Mahadev temple on Brahma Sarovar, the Sthaneshwar Mahadev temple which gave the adjoining Sthaneshwar or Thaneshwar (now Thanesar) its name or the Bhadrakali Mandir, considered a Shakti Peeth where the right ankle of Maa Sati had fallen. There is also a Shri Krishna Museum with exquisite artefacts and an inexplicable prohibition on clicking photographs, and a planetarium and gallery dedicated to the memory of astronaut Kalpana Chawla.

And for the history and heritage enthusiast, there is Harsha Ka Tila and tomb of Sheikh Chehli.

Sheikh Chehli/Chaheli/Chilli (not to be confused with a famous comic character in children’s books) was said to be a Sufi saint and a spiritual teacher of Dara Shukoh. There are considerable doubts and differences among chroniclers about the Pir’s name or whether he was actually a master of the Mughal prince who translated Upanishads into Persian. But there is no argument about the elegance and beauty of the complex. The octagonal marble tomb at the centre, another sandstone tomb with a vaulted roof on the western side, the red sandstone Pathar Masjid and the vast elevated courtyard looked serene and ethereal on the background of dark clouds that gathered in the sky as we explored the site. The square-shaped enclosure below is surrounded by rooms where once a madrasa was being run and which now houses an Archaeological Survey of India Museum.

From the courtyard, one can see an ancient mound called Harsha-Ka-Tila, called so after Pushyabhuti King Harshavardhana, who had started his reign in Thanesar. An excavation of the mound led to the discovery of a treasure trove of antiquities. The ASI Museum displays objects belonging from Kushan to Mughal period, found at the place and several other nearby excavation sites.

Kurukshetra is definitely recommended for a one-time day trip. One can take the morning Kalka-Shatabdi Express to reach at 9.40 am and the return train at 7.40 pm. However, it is advisable to book a good hotel/dharmashala beforehand if one wants to freshen up a bit before reaching the station. 

And yes, foodies should not expect to find anything mildly interesting. Stuffing yourself with railway bread-and-cutlet is a better option.

(Information source and further reading: Thanesar and Its Vicinity: B.M Pande & C. Dorje; published by Archaeological Survey of India) 

Brahma Sarovar and Sarveshwar Shiv Mandir

war panorama

Sheikh Chehli's Tomb entrance

Inside the complex

Sthaneshwar Shiv Mandir

Bhishma Kund and temple

In front of Bhadrakali Mandir

'Taash' Avatar

We might be more familiar with modern Western-style four-suited playing cards, but China, India and Persia has a long history of cards (or ‘taash' or ‘ganjifa') which used to come in a variety of designs, shapes, decks and patterns.

One such example is the Dashavatar Taash (playing cards depicting 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu), a rare art form and an important part of the rich cultural heritage of the temple town of Bishnupur in Bengal's Bankura district.

Bidyut Fouzdar, belonging to a family which is the only one still making these cards and keeping the 400-year-old tradition alive, was in Delhi for a government-organized crafts fair in 2013, and I had the opportunity to acquire a set of cards, hand-painted in bright colours and bearing religious symbols and deities. The cards are being made for generations in the Fouzdar family of Bishnupur, a town known for its terracotta temples, Baluchari saree and classical music of Bishnupur gharana.

It is said that the Dashavatar card game, governed by a complicated set of rules which only a handful of people still have the knowledge of, was introduced in the royal court of Bishnupur in late 16th century, during the reign of Malla King Veer Hambir, who was a patron of the arts and culture. The game involved five players and the cards used to be and are still made in 12 suits of 10 cards each. The 10 avatars are painted on the circular cards with corresponding symbols – Matsya (fish), Kurma (turtle), Baraha (shell), Nrisingha (chakra),  Baman (water pot), Parasuram (axe), Shri Ram (bow and arrow), Balaram (plough), Buddha/Jagannatha (lotus) and Kalki (sword/horse).

The painting style, as seen in the Nrisingha (the avatar in a man-lion form, killing the demon Hiranyakashipu) card here, has  similarities with the patachitra art as well as some of the Durga idols in traditional zamindar family pujas in Bengal in which the Devi's vahana (carrier) lion has a face like a horse. Interestingly, both Balaram and Buddha are included among the incarnations here. Generally, it is either of the two. The Buddha/Jagannatha card may be a pointer to links between Buddhist and Jagannatha traditions. (Many scholars argue that such a link exists, though there are counter-points as well as (for further reading; https://medium.com/@ashishsarangi/lord-jagannath-the-buddhist-connection-a53135a3dde3)

The artists use layers of old pieces of cloth which are folded and pasted using glue made from tamarind seeds. After drying, a base colour is applied. They are flattened out with a stone and cards are cut into round shapes. Vegetable colours are used for painting. On the reverse, a layer of lac and vermillion is applied. Apart from the cards, artists are now also making other decorative items using these motifs. The designs have been used in theme-based Durga Puja pandals too.

Dashavatar cards were also popular in Maharashtra and Odisha and the game is still played in some places in these states, it is said.
(Source: biswabangla.in and a few other websites)

A column and two urns

“In thought faith, In word wisdom/In deed courage, In life service/So may India be great.”

These lines are inscribed on the 145-ft high Jaipur Column, standing tall in the Rashtrapati Bhavan Forecourt. Designed by Edwin Lutyens and sponsored by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II of Jaipur to mark the shifting of the capital to Delhi, it is made of cream-coloured sandstone, has a map of Delhi on one side of the base and a six-pointed Star of India, made of glass, on the top.

While searching for Madho Singh, found an interesting story, though unrelated to the Jaipur Column. He went to London in 1902 to attend the coronation of King Edward VII. But at that time, it was a religious taboo to cross the sea and people were required to go for purification after returning. So, the king carried 8,000 litres of Ganga water in his ship for use during the entire trip. The water was taken in two huge silver urns, which are still on display in Jaipur city palace, and have been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest sterling-silver objects in the world. And I have seen them but did not make the connection.

(Source: Rashtrapati Bhavan website, www.lonelyplanet.com and ‘When the Ganges Came to London' by Aditya Iyer in The Hindu, Sept 22, 2018).