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HERITAGE:
SHER SHAH SURI'S TOMB
Complex
Cause
ASI and
priests squabble over temples on the mausoleum's grounds
By Anshul
Avijit and Sanjay Kumar Jha
It
certainly is no ordinary tomb. And not because it belongs to Sher Shah
Suri, the daring Afghan ruler who almost yanked the mighty Mughals from
the centrestage of history. This 16th century octagonal structure, which
adds vitality to the otherwise listless skyline of Sasaram in Bihar, is
a grand funerary feat-five chhattri-dotted storeys, set wistfully in the
centre of a large lake and linked by a fern-lined causeway. Occasionally,
busloads of tourists arrive from nearby Banaras to marvel at this famous
medieval monument, even at the risk of encountering the region's notorious
road robbers. But for all that trouble, this is what they get to see:
Sher Shah's sepulchral apotheosis, of course, and three temples that have
recently come up on the complex, wrecking the view and igniting communal
tensions.
 |
| The
temples and the monument |
Not that
the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been a passive spectator
to this infringement. It has been struggling to uphold its premier position
as the protector of India's antiquities but, in the process, exposed its
inefficacy. The Patna Circle of the ASI, represented by Superintendent
Archaeologist Muhammed K.K., had sent a letter to state Chief Secretary
V.S. Dubey complaining about "the local police refusing to accept
an fir against the new construction" on October 3 this year and alleging
the "active connivance" of local officials in the temple building
activity. It also claims that the matter was brought to the notice of
the administration a few months ago but nothing had been done. Predictably,
Raghuwansh Prasad Yadav, the local superintendent of police, has a different
version: "The fir had been lodged on October 15 and construction
was stopped." However, the ASI's reported that recently an RCC roof
had been cast in one of the temples is on and a marriage mandap set up
on the precincts.
The pujari
of these ungainly temples, Doma Ram Sadhu, seems unconcerned about a likely
furore. He is even drawing up blueprints for more constructions. On being
questioned why of all the land available in Sasaram this particular one
was singled out for God's blessings, the sadhu with matted locks makes
an unconvincing point: "There was no proper place to conduct marriages,
so this mandap was needed."
The construction
of these temples can be traced to the 1950s when people started gathering
regularly around a peepul tree in the compound to sing kirtans. The temples
came up in the 1970s and the latest one was constructed this year. One
of the temple committee members spoke of rectifying Sher Shah's building
agenda. "Sher Shah constructed a lot," he says authoritatively,
"but forgot one thing-a temple." Sasaram, known for its communal
unease, doesn't need a reassessment of Sher Shah's religious policy. Meanwhile,
Yadav indulges in the standard khaki rhetoric: "The police is alert
and no untoward incident will take place."
According
to Muhammed K.K., since 1977 over 16 complaints have been registered regarding
this illegal construction but no action has ever been taken. On the other
hand the former BJP MLA Jawahar Prasad was of the opinion that they were
only trying to fulfil the demands of the locals. "If anybody wants
to stop the building work, he will do so at his own risk," warns
Prasad.
Komal Anand,
the director-general of the ASI, seems determined not to let the bathroom-tiled
temples and their calendar-art frescos mar the mausoleum's vistas. "Our
stand is very clear," she says, "We have to protect the monument
against illegal construction. We hope the state Government does something
soon. Otherwise a court case will remain the only option." And we
all know how long this can take.
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