Hindus have not learnt from history
By Arya Das
Madhya Pradesh has a glorious history, which is traced in the Rigveda. Lord Rama had spent a major part of his life in Chhattisgarh and Orissa among the tribals. Right from the 4th century b.c. to the 17th century a.d. the state witnessed the rules of kings from famous dynasties: the Mauryas, the Sungas, the Kanvas, the Satvahanas, the Khatrapas, the Nagas, the Guptas, the Kalchuris, the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, the Parmars and the Bundelas. The rulers of those dynasties were so powerful that they became legends in their own time.
The warrior and scholar Raja Bhoja, who is believed to have ruled in the 11th century a.d., is a household name in India. Raja Bhoja was a warrior and a Sanskrit scholar who wrote 23 books. Undoubtedly he was one of the greatest architects in the world. The remnants of the massive lake near Bhojpur temple, which once covered an area of 273 square miles, can still be seen. Every district of Madhya Pradesh echoes the heroic tells of Hindu kings and monarchs.
A big, 8-feet long rock carrying the order of King Ashoka, who was then the Governor of Vidisha, is preserved at Sanchi. King Ashoka ostracised some Buddhist monks for their alleged involvement in creating a schism within Buddhism. Whatever may be the greatness of our past rulers, they had committed the same mistake year after year—internecine wars, which allowed the smooth entry of foreign powers or their proxies. The ruins of Hindu forts strewn across the state echo the stories of chivalry, sacrifice and betrayal by kings and monarchs. Many great Hindu kings of central India actually met their end in these wars.
After the fall of Moghul Empire, the Gonds established their supremacy in Bhopal and in parts of Malwa region. The Gonds were butchered in one of the most treacherous acts committed by the Afghan soldier, Dost Muhammad Khan, who founded Bhopal in the 18th century a.d. In a treacherous move, Dost Muhammad entered into a treaty with the Gonds and invited them for a feast near a river in the Gond’s stronghold, Jagdishpur. He butchered them when the unsuspecting Gonds got drunk after a hearty dinner. Dost Muhammad renamed Jagdishpur as Islamnagar and established his capital there.
Madhya Pradesh's history is replete with stories of Hindu leaders who paid a heavy price for their war ethics and for their selfish agenda of inviting outsiders to kill their own brethren. Dost was hired by Hindu kings to punish their adversaries. The end of the legendary Raja Bhoja was caused by the Hindu kings only. The combined armies of the neighbouring Hindu kings defeated Raja Bhoja and opened the path to Afghan and Moghul rulers to enter central India.
Hindus have not learnt anything from history because they don’t know how to preserve historical monuments as a reminder of their past follies. History in India has not been written and taught in the manner to correct the past follies, but to repeat the past mistakes over and over again. Britain and France preserve every stone marked with their nation’s glory through authentic documentation. Even the British have documented the loot they shipped away from India and elsewhere.
Madhya Pradesh has now started a new chapter by preserving its glorious history. In a recent policy initiative, the state government has identified places which still hold the memory of brave kings who ruled central India through the ages. In the past two years the government has developed good roads linking places of tourist interest. The government has also made a survey of all important tourist centres in Madhya Pradesh to develop tourism clusters in the state.
The chairman, Nitish Bhardwaj, of Madhya Pradesh State Tourism and Development Corporation, is out to put Madhya Pradesh on the world tourism map. His role as Krishna and Rama in mythological serials will help market pilgrim tourism in the state. Nitish Bhardwaj has emphasised the need for tourism clusters, “The famed sculptures of Khajuraho temples cannot sustain the needs for expanding the tourism industry, and thus it is imperative to connect the adjoining areas.”
The state is out to salvage history from the verge of destruction. Places associated with great kings and monarchs since 4th century b.c. will be preserved and documented so that the local people know their history and culture well to boost their self-respect and confidence and make their state prosperous. While technology makes the society progress, history builds the foundation of the society.
Madhya Pradesh has a glorious history, which is traced in the Rigveda. Lord Rama had spent a major part of his life in Chhattisgarh and Orissa among the tribals. Right from the 4th century b.c. to the 17th century a.d. the state witnessed the rules of kings from famous dynasties: the Mauryas, the Sungas, the Kanvas, the Satvahanas, the Khatrapas, the Nagas, the Guptas, the Kalchuris, the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, the Parmars and the Bundelas. The rulers of those dynasties were so powerful that they became legends in their own time.
The warrior and scholar Raja Bhoja, who is believed to have ruled in the 11th century a.d., is a household name in India. Raja Bhoja was a warrior and a Sanskrit scholar who wrote 23 books. Undoubtedly he was one of the greatest architects in the world. The remnants of the massive lake near Bhojpur temple, which once covered an area of 273 square miles, can still be seen. Every district of Madhya Pradesh echoes the heroic tells of Hindu kings and monarchs.
A big, 8-feet long rock carrying the order of King Ashoka, who was then the Governor of Vidisha, is preserved at Sanchi. King Ashoka ostracised some Buddhist monks for their alleged involvement in creating a schism within Buddhism. Whatever may be the greatness of our past rulers, they had committed the same mistake year after year—internecine wars, which allowed the smooth entry of foreign powers or their proxies. The ruins of Hindu forts strewn across the state echo the stories of chivalry, sacrifice and betrayal by kings and monarchs. Many great Hindu kings of central India actually met their end in these wars.
After the fall of Moghul Empire, the Gonds established their supremacy in Bhopal and in parts of Malwa region. The Gonds were butchered in one of the most treacherous acts committed by the Afghan soldier, Dost Muhammad Khan, who founded Bhopal in the 18th century a.d. In a treacherous move, Dost Muhammad entered into a treaty with the Gonds and invited them for a feast near a river in the Gond’s stronghold, Jagdishpur. He butchered them when the unsuspecting Gonds got drunk after a hearty dinner. Dost Muhammad renamed Jagdishpur as Islamnagar and established his capital there.
Madhya Pradesh's history is replete with stories of Hindu leaders who paid a heavy price for their war ethics and for their selfish agenda of inviting outsiders to kill their own brethren. Dost was hired by Hindu kings to punish their adversaries. The end of the legendary Raja Bhoja was caused by the Hindu kings only. The combined armies of the neighbouring Hindu kings defeated Raja Bhoja and opened the path to Afghan and Moghul rulers to enter central India.
Hindus have not learnt anything from history because they don’t know how to preserve historical monuments as a reminder of their past follies. History in India has not been written and taught in the manner to correct the past follies, but to repeat the past mistakes over and over again. Britain and France preserve every stone marked with their nation’s glory through authentic documentation. Even the British have documented the loot they shipped away from India and elsewhere.
Madhya Pradesh has now started a new chapter by preserving its glorious history. In a recent policy initiative, the state government has identified places which still hold the memory of brave kings who ruled central India through the ages. In the past two years the government has developed good roads linking places of tourist interest. The government has also made a survey of all important tourist centres in Madhya Pradesh to develop tourism clusters in the state.
The chairman, Nitish Bhardwaj, of Madhya Pradesh State Tourism and Development Corporation, is out to put Madhya Pradesh on the world tourism map. His role as Krishna and Rama in mythological serials will help market pilgrim tourism in the state. Nitish Bhardwaj has emphasised the need for tourism clusters, “The famed sculptures of Khajuraho temples cannot sustain the needs for expanding the tourism industry, and thus it is imperative to connect the adjoining areas.”
The state is out to salvage history from the verge of destruction. Places associated with great kings and monarchs since 4th century b.c. will be preserved and documented so that the local people know their history and culture well to boost their self-respect and confidence and make their state prosperous. While technology makes the society progress, history builds the foundation of the society.
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