Lord Ram to get museum in Ayodhya

[Hindustani78]

Updated: October 18, 2016 02:53 IST

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lord-ram-to-get-museum-in-ayodhya/article9231506.ece

The BJP invokes Lord Rama for its campaign in U.P.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Dasara address in Lucknow, which began with a robust chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’, his Cabinet colleagues too are leaving no stone unturned in invoking Lord Rama in the run up to the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Mahesh Sharma will be travelling to Ayodhya on Tuesday to identify land for the building of a museum dedicated to Lord Rama and will also pay obeisance at the makeshift Ram Lalla temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya. Part of his itinerary will include meeting the mahants of various akharas, many of whom have been a part of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyaas.

Three pilgrim circuits

“As Minister for Tourism and Culture, we had identified three pilgrimage circuits to be developed: the Buddhist Circuit, the Ramayana circuit and the Krishna Circuit, where sites related to these deities and pilgrimages associated with them would be developed. The Ramayana Circuit has been allotted a budget of Rs. 225 crores, of which Ayodhya alone will account for Rs. 151 [crore], including the construction of a museum and an interpretation centre,” Mr. Sharma told The Hindu.

“When I go to Ayodhya, I will be offering prayers at the Ram Lalla temple. It is a matter of faith for me, and I will pay my respects to the various akharas as well,” he said.


Significantly, the other two spots in Uttar Pradesh on the Ramayana Circuit that are being allotted funds are Chitrakoot (Rs. 43 crores), and Shringverpur in Phulpur (Rs. 23 crores). Both are very significant in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh elections and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) game plan.

Chitrakoot is associated with Goswami Tulsidas, who wrote the Ramcharitmanas, and also Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue Nanaji Deshmukh, who had built a Centre for Rural Development under the aegis of the Deendayal Upadhyaya Research Institute. Shringverpur, situated in the BJP state chief Keshav Prasad Maurya’s Lok Sabha constituency of Phulpur, is important as the erstwhile capital of the Nishad Raja or king of Nishads, the boatman community, who helped Rama cross the Sarayu river in the Ramayana. “All of these are important symbols in the BJP campaign that wants a larger Hindutva support base, especially including backward communities,” said a senior party leader from the State.

Roads and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari too will be visiting the State before Diwali, and is in talks for a road project in the area. The party will begin its four yatras or road shows from November 5, with nearly eight rallies by the PM peppering the route.

“With the surgical strikes, our cadre, which had been a bit shaken after the events in Una and the controversy over former State vice-president Daya Shankar Singh’s comments [against BSP chief Mayawati], is more optimistic,” said a senior party leader.

 

[Hindustani78]

*********************

The banks of Sarayu river in Ayodhya where a theme park is proposed to be built. File photo.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/nation...m-with-ramleela-theme-park/article9233842.ece

They are 'linking religion with politics' for 'electoral benefits', says BSP chief Mayawati.
The Samajwadi Party government has approved an International Ramleela Theme Park along the banks of the Sarayu in Ayodhya. The development comes a day after the Central government announced that it would construct a Ramayan Museum in the temple town.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati questioned the “intentions” of the two parties, saying they were “linking religion with politics” for “electoral benefits.” Ms. Mayawati questioned the timing of the announcements of the two projects.

She said that it was good to develop tourism in Ayodhya but questioned the intention of the two parties. She also had a word of caution for the two governments.

“If their intentions were clean, they would have started the projects much earlier... They must keep in mind that the disputed land in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex should not be affected by such constructions as the matter is sub judice in the Supreme Court.”

Ms. Mayawati said the two parties were competing for “cheap publicity” by making hollow announcements in the “absence of proper budgetary allocation” to execute the projects.

A few days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke away from convention and attended the Dasara festival in Lucknow, where he began and concluded his speech with “Jai Sriram,” Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma announced he would visit Ayodhya on Tuesday to inspect the proposed site for setting up a Ramayana Sanghralaya (Museum). He said his visit should not be viewed in terms of politics and was to “improve tourism” in Ayodhya.

The Akhilesh Yadav government gave its approval for the construction of an International Ramleela Theme Park. The decision came through a Cabinet meeting presided over by the Chief Minister here. “The completion of the project [Ramleela Theme Park[ will benefit tourism, generate employment opportunities and promote Indian Culture nationally as well as globally,” a government spokesperson said. High-quality red sandstone would be used for the project.

 

[Hindustani78]

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/ram-museum-in-ayodhya-a-temple-with-tourism-twist-4655299/

With devotional songs, preachings of Lord Ram and daily yagnas on the menu, the plans for the government’s Ram-Ramayana museum in Ayodhya could well be the template for a temple.It was in October last year that Prime Minister Narendra Modi first expressed his intentions of building a Ram Museum and a site was identified in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. But it was not to be under Akhilesh Yadav’s government which refused to allocate the land.

After the political landscape changed in March, the Yogi Adityanath government released the 25-acre land on the banks of Saryu river, and the museum will now be built in collaboration between the central and UP state governments at a cost of Rs 225 crore. According to a concept note obtained by PTI, the main structure – to be located about six kilometres from the disputed Ram temple site – will be like a “grand temple” and will open into a “Ram darbar”. It will have cutting-edge technology such as virtual reality and 3D displays to showcase ancient traditions.

The concept note says the museum is for “devotees as well as tourists” and will depict the preachings of Lord Ram. The note was prepared by Ram Autar, who is the chairperson of the Ramayana Circuit National Committee formed by the Centre. A researcher in studies of Lord Ram, he describes him as “a historical figure and not a figment of one’s imagination,” though there is no academic evidence that Lord Ram existed beyond the pages of mythology and popular folklore based on Ramayana, one of India’s two epic poems.

His “teachings are not restricted to just Hindus. Lord ram has an all pervasive significance for people of all religions. The museum will reveal a lot of aspects of his teachings that science has not understood,” Autar told PTI. Autar and other proponents of the museum deny there is any political agenda behind the museum, although the museum is scheduled to be completed in 18 months, just before the 2019 general elections when the Ram Mandir issue is likely to figure in campaigning by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

“As long as the reason behind building the museum is cultural, to promote Indian traditions, I have no problems,” said Harsh Kumar, a professor of ancient history at Allahabad University.

“(But) if this is a political agenda, then I am afraid how they will represent Ram. I believe that Lord Ram is purely a mythical character and there is no proof of his existence in history. However, he has huge traditional and cultural resonance in India,” Kumar told PTI. The plan for the museum includes a “yagnashala” where yagnas will be performed every morning and evening to “purify” the environment and to make people understand the importance of such rituals in Hinduism.

On the walls of the court there will be murals and drawings of Lord Ram’s life journey. In another room, built almost like an amphitheatre, tourists will have the opportunity to sit and watch the life of the Hindu god being played out on projector screens with 3D visuals and audio. “The tourist will feel that Shri Ram is living his life in front of them,” the note said. It will draw inspiration from the Capital’s Akshardham Temple and the recently held exhibition of Sardar Patel at the National Science Centre.

Autar, who also heads the Shri Ram Sanskritik Shodh Sansthan Nyas, has recommended a centre for science that will show tourists programmes on Lord Ram using augmented reality or virtual reality. The aim of this exercise, the note says, is to “connect the youth with their culture and religion”. In yet another room, there will be a big screen which will show films on Lord Ram, and these will be sourced from places such as Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand, where Ramayana stories are popular. The plan also envisages a library and research centre for scholars.

There will be a separate enclosure where twice a day the teachings of Lord Ram will be preached by experts, scholars and others. The note also recommends a light and sound show depicting the places where Lord Ram visited which would be recreated on the museum premises. While Autar’s three-page note written in Hindi is now under consideration by the culture ministry, officials say they are awaiting more inputs from other experts, which will be added to the present draft.

“We have started working with the state government to set up the museum and we are on track. We will finalise the details soon,” said Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, who visited the site just before the UP assembly elections.

“However, let me reiterate that our efforts are not just towards building a museum, but about a holistic development of Ayodhya,” he said. Cultural activist Sohail Hashmi does not see any problem with a Ram Museum, but said that such a museum should include all interpretations of Lord Ram. “It should incorporate every tradition that includes Ram. It should not just be the north Indian upper class interpretation of Ram as the Hindu conqueror. Ram is very human, and he should be portrayed like that,” Hashmi told PTI.

“Also, the museum should be built in collaboration with people who have worked on the mythology of Ram and not RSS pracharaks. It should be an inclusive museum with the entire debate on Ram being represented,” said Hashmi. The proposed cost of the museum is also raising eyebrows. At Rs 225 crore, it is higher than this year’s Rs 200 crore-budget for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet scheme, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, almost a five-time increase from last year.

“I don’t think all of India’s museums put together would cost Rs 225 crore,” said Hashmi. RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha was all for the museum. “Shri Ram represents our culture and tradition and his teachings are seeped in history. Even in other countries folktales about Shri Ram are popular. Why not promote him here? The western world calls our tradition pre-historic –why should we let them do that? This museum will showcase to the world our sabhyata (culture) and history,” said Sinha, honorary director, India Policy Foundation.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Culture
15-June, 2017 15:57 IST
Ministry of Culture to start implementation of ‘National Mission on Cultural Mapping of India’ from Goverdhan Block, Mathura

In the year of commemoration of the birth centenary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, who hailed from Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh, the Ministry of Culture, Government of India is launching the implementation of the ‘‘National Mission on Cultural Mapping of India’ at Goverdhan Block, Mathura District, Uttar Pradesh in a day long, Block level mega talent hunt programme (Sanskritik Pratibha Khoj Samaroh) on 17th June, 2017 from 10 am to 5 pm at Radheshyam Sewa Sadan (in front of Gaudiya Math), Radha Kund Road, Gowardhan. The programme will be inaugurated by the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Culture & Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in the august presence of the Ministers of Uttar Pradesh having their constituency in Mathura District, MP and MLAs of Mathura District, Ministry’s Senior officials and various renowned artists including Padma, Sangeet Natak Akademi and State Awardees. This Mission is part of the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ umbrella.


Around 1-2 thousand artists are expected to take part in this Block level event where artists can also register themselves following which a registration certificate/slip/code will be provided to all the artists who register. A stage will be provided to the registered artists for performance and displaying their talent. A panel of renowned artists has also been invited for judging the participants in different art forms. Registration can also be done directly on the portal culturalmappingofindia.nic.in. For those artists who, for some reason, are not able to register themselves and their art forms, enumeration teams have been sent to all the 47 villages of Gowardhan Block for geo mapping of artists and their art forms. Any person who claims to be an artist can register at the initial level.


Paving the way for the ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ programme led by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, the mission aims at converting the vast and widespread cultural canvas of India into an objective cultural map, designing a mechanism to fulfil the aspirations of the whole artist community of the nation and preserving the rich cultural heritage of this country in the form of a cultural repository of artists and art forms.


This Mission encompasses data mapping, demography building formalising the processes and bringing all the cultural activities under one web based umbrella for better results. The Mission also seeks to open a direct channel of communication of artists with the Government and peer to peer communication among artists for talent honing and handholding of each other.


With a vision that no cultural talent or heritage should remain unattended and if it is talent, it should be nurtured and if it is a heritage, it should be conserved and used as an icon to learn from the past, and also to propagate our cultural talent across all boundaries, the Ministry has planned to hold talent hunt competitions with various rounds from Block level to National level. The scheme is set to cover all the Blocks of the Country, involving a total of 6.40 Lakh villages over the span of next 3 years.


The Ministry is eying to launch massive cultural awareness campaigns so that no artist is left behind. The Artist/Organisations also may register online at www.culturalmapping.nic.in. The Cultural Mapping of India portal will serve as a repository/consolidated database of information about cultural assets and resources i.e. a cultural inventory at one place for essential planning, sustainable economic development and for preserving the scattered and near extinct art forms.


Immediately after this event in Mathura district, the Ministry of Culture will be organising similar Block level events in other States too so as to kick start the process of scaling up the efforts to cover all the Blocks of the Country. The current round includes Shimoga Block in Shimoga District, Karnataka, Thanesar Block in Kurukshetra District, Haryana, Chauri – Chaura Block in Gorakhpur District in Uttar Pradesh & Saraikela Block in Saraikela - Kharsawan District in Jharkhand.

The Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge), Dr. Mahesh Sharma briefing the media persons on the launch of cultural mapping of India, in New Delhi on June 15, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Shri N.K. Sinha is also seen.

The Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge), Dr. Mahesh Sharma briefing the media persons on the launch of cultural mapping of India, in New Delhi on June 15, 2017. The Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Shri N.K. Sinha is also seen.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Culture
24-July, 2017 19:59 IST
Exhibition “Traditional Head Gear of India” Begins in National Museum Today

Smt. Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Culture & Tourism inaugurated an exhibition entitled “Traditional Head Gear of India” organised by the National Museum in National Museum Complex, Janpath, New Delhi today. This small exhibition is arranged to showcase printed turban, embroidered dopalli and Maratha stitched cap and zardozi cap.


Pagdi, pag, turban, topi, cap, headgear are the part of daily men’s attire, sometimes women too, along with Indian traditional wear. These were specially designed for occasional and ceremonial bases. Headgears signify the social, religious and economical status of a user in the society. From muslin, cotton, silk and wool, variety of materials have been used for most ornamental and intricately decorated headgears and later on jewels were also added to ornate it.


Each phase of Indian history show some distinct or peculiar style of wearing pag for example; Maurya-Sunga period evidences show the tying of pag in two stages, top-knot for covering the hair bun and then covers the head. During the medieval period also we witnessed the interesting types of headgear such as; Akbar’s ‘atpati turban’, was famous which was like a loosely worn, carefree style turban. It is believed that Shah Jahan introduced the ‘turban band’, which was tied above the band to secure the turban. It is believed that Aurangzeb use to make his own cap. The last Mughal ruler Bahadurshah Zafar’s ‘Chugani’ or ‘Chaugoshia’ cap has four raised points.


Around late 19th and early 20th century ‘do-palli’ or ‘round cap’ or ‘topi’ in the northern region became very popular for daily as well as occasional uses. The ‘do-palli’, means two layered cap, which were stitched from one side and worn on the head, while the ‘topi’ remains circular and covers the entire head, which often been known as skull cap. Nizam’s in Hyderabad (South-India) introduced in ‘dastar’ which was the neatly arranged turban, looks like a stitched cap. During his period as per the status of minister the colour of dastar was decided especially for courtly attire. Famous Maratha’s turban and Rajput turbans had their distinct feature for fabric, colour, design and ornamentation. They introduced the stitched headgear with full head covering, little fabric hanging at the back and the third is hangings, which use to be pearls to semi-precious stones and glass beads.

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Tourism
24-July, 2017 17:22 IST
Ramayana and Krishna Circuits



Ramayana Circuit and Krishna Circuit are among the thirteen thematic circuits identified for development under Swadesh Darshan Scheme.


Ministry has initially identified fifteen destinations for development under the Ramayana Circuit theme namely Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringverpur & Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh), Sitamarhi, Buxar & Darbhanga (Bihar), Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Mahendragiri (Odisha), Jagdalpur (Chattisgarh), Nashik & Nagpur (Maharashtra), Bhadrachalam (Telangana), Hampi (Karnataka) and Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu).


Similarly, twelve destinations have been identified for development under Krishna circuit namely Dwarka (Gujarat), Nathdwara, Jaipur & Sikar (Rajasthan), Kurukshetra (Haryana), Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana, Nandgaon & Govardhan (Uttar Pradesh) and Puri (Odisha).


The following projects have been sanctioned under Ramayana and Krishna Circuits of Swadesh Darshan Scheme:


(Rs. in crore)

Sl. No.
Name of the Project
Amount sanctioned
Ramayana Circuit


1.
Development of Chitrakoot and Shringverpur as Ramayana Circuit in Uttar Pradesh (2016-17)
69.45

Krishna Circuit

2.
Development of Tourism Infrastructures at places related to Mahabharata in Kurukshetra, Haryana. (2016-17)
97.35

3.
Integrated Development of Govind Dev ji temple (Jaipur), Khatu Shyam Ji (Sikar) and Nathdwara (Rajsamand) in Rajasthan. (2016-17)
91.45


The completion time for the projects sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan Scheme varies from 18 to 36 months.


This information was given by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.


****

 

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Minority Affairs
25-July, 2017 19:17 IST
Achievements made under Hamari Dharohar Scheme

The Ministry of Minority Affairs formulated “Hamari Dharohar” scheme for preservation of rich heritage and culture of minority communities of India in 2014-15. The scheme aims to support curation of iconic exhibitions, calligraphy, research and development, etc. Under this scheme, the funding is project based and not the State/District-wise. The following two important projects have been undertaken so far under the scheme:

1. An iconic exhibition of Parsis (Zoroastrians) i.e. “The Everlasting Flame” to showcase the civilization and culture of the Parsis (Zoroastrians) was organized during March-May, 2016. This involved curating 3 travelling exhibitions on Parsi Culture namely- ‘The Everlasting Flame’; ‘Threads of Continuity’; and ‘Painted Encounters’, Parsi Traders and Community & No Parsi is an island’, at the National Museum (NM), National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) at New Delhi. A total of Rs. 18.72 Crore was spent.

2. A project has been allocated to Dairatul Maarifil Osmania (an institution established in 1888 AD) under Osmania University, Telangana, for translation of 240 invaluable documents belonging to Medievel period on the subjects of Medicines, Mathematics, Literature, etc. from Arabic language to English, digitization and re-printing. The project implementation has already started and the state Government of Telangana is monitoring the same. A total of Rs. 2.77 Crore has so far been released for this project.

The details of the funds allocated and utilized under this scheme are available on the website of the Ministry at www.minorityaffairs.gov.in.

This information was given by Shri Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minister of State (IC) for Minority Affairs, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, today.

*****