Helping to preserve our heritage!

It is a commitment of a different kind. When the bronze aspirants of Heritage Girls School, Udaipur visited the 10th century monument that was literally a stone's throw away from the school during the course of a walk, one of us just mentioned that it would be wonderful if we  could come there more often. The Principal suggested that we adopt the place and the idea took flight!

Adopting a monument is not a difficult process. We wrote to the local office of the Archeological Survey of India and waited. A month later the letter arrived. Yes, it can be done, said Mr P.S. Sriraman, the ASI officer. Correspondence flew back and forth and it was decided the monument would be ours on the 26th of January!

Though it was originally dedicated to  Lord Vishnu, the Saas-Bahu temple at Eklingji, Udaipur is not functional as a temple anymore. However, it  is worth visiting for its sheer architectural beauty. Experts like Dr Rajshekhar Vyas, who was present at the adoption ceremony, tell us that this is one of those rare places where the stories of both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are featured on the stone frescoes. Like many of our precious legacies, this too has been ravaged by plunderers, but whatever is left, is worth saving.

The care and nurture that we plan for the monument has already begun. The Community Service Society went about cleaning the premises on the morning of the 26th of January. The History Society will now prepare brochures containing the popular lore associated with the place to distribute to the tourists visiting the place.

There is a lot about history, archeology, architecture to be learnt from here. It is an exciting prospect!   Click for more pictures