Author: Chandan Mitra/Bangkok
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: February 1, 2003
Inspired By Muang Boran, an impressive
re-creation of edifices from Thailand's history, Deputy Prime Minister
L K Advani is working on a similar historical heritage park in India. Perhaps
the most significant feature of the proposed heritage park will be the
construction of a replica of the original palace of Lord Ram of Ayodhya.
Although the palace from where the God-King ruled was destroyed long ago,
various ancient and mediaeval artists have depicted it from imagination
and it should be possible to erect such a structure in accordance with
contemporary descriptions. Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani at Muang Boran
in Bangkok on Friday - PTI
Mr Advani, currently on a tour of
Thailand, revealed his ideas to mediapersons while visiting Muang Boran
(Ancient City) on the outskirts of Bangkok on Friday morning. The City,
set over 320 acres of landscaped gardens 60 km outside the Thai capital,
contains an imaginative reconstruct of buildings, temples and palaces from
various eras of Thai history. It was opened in 1972 and, incidentally,
Mr Advani visited it that very year.
However, the idea of setting up
a similar heritage park in India came to him in 1992 after he visited the
ruins of the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya (Ayodhya). On that occasion,
Mr Advani was on his way to Toronto to address an international Hindu conference.
Interestingly, he visited Thailand's Ayodhya at the height of the Ram Janmabhoomi
Movement led by him. Mr Advani told newspersons on Friday he had been deeply
impressed by the way Thais had preserved their historical heritage at Ayotthaya.
Although the original palace there was in ruins, another one had been constructed
close to it to give people an idea of what the building must have looked
like.
At Muang Boran, another replica
of the Senphit Prasat, the original palace of the King of Thailand at Ayutthaya,
has been built. A grand palace that includes audience chambers, workplaces
and living quarters, constructed in traditional Thai style, draws thousands
of visitors every year. Nearby, other buildings that once stood in Ayutthaya,
including the Dusit Maha Prasat and royal galleries along waterways, complete
with replicas of boats and barges of that period, have also been reconstructed.
Mr Advani said that he had first
discussed the proposal to set up a similar heritage park near Haridwar
with former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh. He had urged that
some 500 acres of land be earmarked near the holy town to re-create structures
from Indian history so that pilgrims could get a visual and physical idea
of facets of our civilisation's hoary past. "However, I now believe such
a park is best set up near Delhi and I have asked Ananth Kumar (Minister
of Urban Development) to locate land suitable for this purpose," the Deputy
Prime Minister disclosed.
Mr Advani said that the park would
include replicas of both existing heritage structures as well as those
that have been destroyed by the ravages of time. The latter category includes
King Dasarath's (and Lord Ram's) palace at Ayodhya, the fabled palace of
Ashoka which once stood in Pataliputra (Patna), other famous palaces and
temples from different kingdoms of ancient times.
Even existing structures like the
Agra Fort, Red Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and other historical buildings of South
India etc, shall be replicated at the proposed heritage park. "The idea
is to give both time-strapped foreign tourists a complete glimpse of Indian
history down the ages, while Indian visitors too get a comprehensive idea
of their own architectural heritage," Mr Advani said. It is learnt that
land for the proposed park is in the process of being identified. In case
it cannot be found within Delhi, neighbouring State Governments may be
requested to join the hunt to locate about 500 acres of space with easy
accessibility somewhere along the Delhi-Agra or Delhi-Jaipur highways.
Friday's visit to Muang Boran has obviously rekindled the idea in Mr Advani's
mind and the project is expected to gather momentum upon his return to
Delhi next week.
The architectural history park near
Bangkok, incidentally, is a product of private enterprise. It was a local
businessman, the biggest dealer of Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Thailand who
conceived this idea 40 years ago. He invested his own money to re-create
buildings from his country's past in a most innovative and imaginative
way. Subsequently, the Government has come forward with endowments and
grants to ensure its growth and maintenance. The most striking aspect of
buildings and temples in the park is that they are made to look like ancient
ruins. The bricks are treated in a particular manner so that they appear
black or moss covered. However, the main attraction of the park, the Ayutthaya
Palace, glistens with lacquered columns and doorways adorning it from all
sides. The Kings of Thailand are still called Rama and bear traditional
Sanskrit names, the present King, for example, is named King Bhumibol Adulyadej
(Atulya Tej or Incomparable Prowess). It is natural that their original
palace has been made to look new and habitable at Muang Boran.
Temples of Vishnu, Shiva, Saraswati
and other Hindu gods and goddesses are scattered all over the sprawling
enclosure through which people are allowed to drive in their private vehicles
or move about in battery-operated open vehicles provided by the park authorities.
Schoolchildren throng the park in hundreds every day to imbibe a sense
of history.
