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Nagarhole: The Snake River Jungle Simhastha-2004 In Ujjain: Communal Integration Harry Potter and Indian writers
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| SIMHASTHA-2004 IN UJJAIN | |
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COMMUNAL INTEGRATION | |
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By Javed Ahmed | |
 For
12 days, the gods and the demons had fought to gain possession of
the sacred nectar (amrita) that had been thrown up in a bowl (kumbh)
during the churning of the ocean in ancient mythology. The Puranas
state that as the gods were keen that the demons did not get hold of
the nectar, Indra instructed his son Jayanta to run off with it as
soon as it emerged. He was chased by the demons, and during the
struggle, some drops of the nectar fell on four spots on earth, one
of them the Shipra river at Ujjain. The other three places are
Haridwar, Prayag and Nasik. This occasion is celebrated as a major
festival by rotation at all the four places and Ujjain is being
spruced up for the festival next year appropriately called Simhastha
2004. The Kumbh period has been notified to be from March 24, 2004
to May 19, 2004. Astrologers have computed five days to be sacred
bathing days. They are April 5, April 19, April 22, April 24 and May
4, 2004.
Over 39 various projects are being carried out by the Public Works Department alone. The State Government has sanctioned a sum of Rs. 67.24 crore for the purpose. The projects include construction of inner and outer roads for devotees, renovation of the observatory set up by Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur and upgradation of the airstrip. Three bridges will be constructed over the Shipra river and an Ayurvedic hospital is being set up for the holy men who will throng here from all parts of the country to participate in the festival. Besides, 75 villages will be linked with roads. PWD Superintending Engineer B. S. Sharma said that the quality of the works will be of quite a high standard and residents of Ujjain will be able to benefit from them for many years. The National River Plan Directorate of the Union Ministry of Environment will make the Shipra River at Ujjain pollution free. Its project envisages the setting up of a sewage water filtration plant by the Public Health Engineering Department to treat the waters of the river and also 11 nallahs flowing into it. Superintending Engineer R. P. Sharma said 11 works totalling a cost of Rs. 29.55 crore had been sanctioned. The Ujjain Development Authority will be spending Rs. 426 lakh on setting up a 100-bed hospital at Madhav Nagar. It will also take up two new constructions for the Harsiddi Dharmshala and Siddhvat Bhojanshala, besides renovating 18 temples of the city and nine archaeologically significant sites. UDA Chairman Rajhajur Singh Gaur said that the UDA was ready to play host for the mega event. Special arrangements for security are being made. Ujjain District Superintendent of Police Upendra Jain said that 15,000 personnel of the district police, home guards, special armed force and central paramilitary forces will be on duty to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. More than two crore people are expected to attend, Jain said. Swarnmala Rawala, Divisional Commissioner and Vice-chairperson of the Simhasta Fair Organising Committee said that all the works would be completed in the stipulated time and a high quality of workmanship would be ensured. Simhastha Fair Officer Ajit Kesari stated that
as many as 21 government departments were co-ordinating their
activities to ensure that Simhastha 2004 became a memorable event.
This time the Fair will be quite different from those in the past as
not only several permanent assets are being set up, new and better
facilities are being provided in terms of additional water and power
supply, ghats, lodging and boarding, movement and convenient and
easy darshan. Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, who is the chairman of
the Central Simhasta Fair Organising Committee, is taking keen
personal interest in the arrangements and has stated that he will
make the millennium’s first Simhasta, a mega international event. He
has released generous funds for the purpose | |
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UJJAIN DOWN THE AGES Ujjain was declared the most sacred city on earth in ancient mythology. Nowhere else is the Dakshinamukhi Jyotirling of Shri Mahakaleshwar Bhagwan situated. Ujjain is also called the birthplace of the planet Mars. According to legend, Lord Krishna had studied here in the ashram of Rishi Sandipani along with his brother Balaram and Sudama. Samrat Vikramaditya had started the Vikrami calendar in this city. This calendar is stated to be the oldest in the world. The Skand Purana mentions that 84 Mahadevas, 64 Yoginis, eight Bhairavas and six Vinayaks (Ganesh) exist in Ujjain. It is a city of temples, idols, mythological stories, festivals and celebrations with Simhastha occupying top place. | |
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WHAT IS SIMHASTHA Kumbh melas are celebrated in Haridwar, Nasik, Prayag and Ujjain. Mahakumbh, which comes once in 12 years, is celebrated in Ujjain when the Sun and Jupiter enter the signs of Aries and Leo respectively. It commemorates the falling of nectar into the Shipra river during the fight for amrita between the gods and the demons. A dip in the river during the Fair days is considered most holy. According to legend, a single bath in the Shipra during the Kumbh days has more sanctity than thousands of baths in the Narbada in the month of Kartika. | |
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SIMHASTHA IS COMMUNAL HARMONY Though a traditional Hindu festival, the celebration of Simhasta is not restricted to followers of this specific religion. People of all faiths and creeds join hands and work in peaceful harmony. It is not only a cultural tradition but also denotes a mingling of faiths. For example, for Simhasta 2003, the Shehar Kazi, Khaliq-ur-Rehman has offered to host 7,000 pilgrims who will be visiting Ujjain. Similarly, the Bohra Samaj, Sikh Samaj and Sindhi Samaj are constructing bathing ghats along the river banks. Other religious denominations too are helping out. |
