Safar

Lucknow, the fascinating city of the nawabs, tracing a history from Persia to connections so European, host to the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, witness to the great mutiny of 1857, an important participant of the freedom struggle, in short a delight of a history buff. Like they say, so much more of this city is hidden as that which is known. Take a short drive in the city from the Cantt to the Chowk and one can pass by so much of history without even realising. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and you would perhaps be able to visualise the grandeur of this city that was once called the Constantinople of India. Lucknow  Every visit to Lucknow reveaIs something more as if the city is challenging us with its mysteries. It was in one of my many such trips to Lucknow, that a passing mention of Musabagh and the cigarette smoking grave of Captan Sahib, set me on the trail to find it. Surprisingly not many people had heard of it, maybe because much in Lucknow pales before the majestic Imambara...

  My trip in the hinterlands of UP continues. After the enigmatic monsoon temple of Behta Buzurg village, I headed to another gem, the ancient terracota brick temple of the Gupta dynasty. Terracota brick temple The terracota temple stands not very far from the monsoon temple, about 4- 5 kms down, in the village of Bhitargaon. Unlike the monsoon temple which was located in an open area, among fields, the terracota temple suddenly appeared on a side of a busy village road in a market area. An 1878 image One of the oldest existing brick temples built in the 5th century, it is surprisingly well maintained by ASI in a small enclosed garden. A picture taken in 1878 shows the crumbling state the temple was in, with the roof struck by lightning. It was thanks to Alexander Cunnigham, first DG of ASI, that this temple was restored and a heritage saved. Though much of the original temple is lost somewhere in the restoration and masonry work done in 1905, the top of the Shikhara has been left ...

  So often we don’t notice things which may be either staring at us or at least around us. Having lived most of my life around Kanpur and Lucknow, wonder how did I miss so much. It ofcourse helps that it is much easier now to find things one is looking for… but one must know what one is looking for !!!! This time I knew what I wanted to find. A nearly three hours drive from Lucknow, into the rural countryside of Kanpur district I went. At some point we got off the NH and turned into a narrow but well laid road, snaking through mustard fields, through villages, nearly touching the mud caked huts on both sides of the road. The mustard fields enroute I was heading to the Jagannath temple in the village of Behata Buzurg in Kanpur district. A Jagannath temple in a tiny village of UP. Also called the monsoon temple it is a temple with an enigma attached to its history. The Jagannath alias ‘Monsoon’ temple The temple built on a large raised platform could be seen from a distance with a po...