Fwd: HPI, August 25, 2003

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In a message dated 8/25/03 2:26:24 PM Mountain Daylight Time, hpi.list writes:

3. New Rail Service to Famous Belur Mathhttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/ articleshow?msid=129336KOLKATA, INDIA, August 18, 2003: Pilgrims and tourists alike now have a third option for transportation if they choose to visit Belur Math in West Bengal. On August 16 of this year, Rail Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated a rail link service to the historic site where Sri Ramakrishna lived. Previously the article points out, "This architectural splendor of West Bengal was accessible directly by road transport or by ferry service from Kolkata." Taking off from a location near Liluah station and terminating by the side of the Belar Scrapyard, the rail station is located close to the gates of the Math founded by Swami Vivekananda. Built by Eastern Railway, the rail service has a cream and saffron color scheme, runs six times each day, and the fare will be US 8 cents for each ride.-----------HINDU PRESS INTERNATIONALA daily news summary for breaking news sent via e-mail and posted on the web for media, educators, researchers, writers, religious leaders worldwide and Hinduism Today magazine rs, courtesy of Hinduism Today editorial staff

Kanda

 

 

Today's Stories:

1. Archeological Society of India Says Temple Existed at Ramjanmabhoomi

Site

2. NCERT Scoffs at Historians' Case Against Textbook Error

3. New Rail Service to Famous Belur Math

 

1. Archeological Society of India Says Temple Existed at Ramjanmabhoomi

Site

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/

articleshow?msid=145797

 

LUCKNOW, INDIA, August 25, 2003: The Archaeological Survey of India

(ASI) said a temple-like " massive structure " existed beneath the

disputed site in Ayodhya in its 574-page report. The ASI report,

submitted on August 22, was opened by the three-member Full Bench,

comprising Justice SR Alam, Justice Khem Karan and Justice Bhanwar

Singh on Monday. The bench has given six-week time to contesting

parties for filing their objections on the sensational revelations made

by the ASI in its two-volume report. " Viewing in totality and taking

into account the archaeological evidence of a massive structure just

below the disputed structure and evidence of continuity in structural

phases from the tenth century onwards up to the construction of the

disputed structure along with yield of stone and decorated bricks as

well mutilated sculpture of divine couple...., fifty pillar bases in

association of the huge structure, are indicative of remains which are

distinctive features found associated with the temples of north India, "

concluded the ASI in its report. The ASI team, led by Hari Manjhi and B

R Mani, had excavated the disputed site for nearly five months between

March 12 and August 7 2003 on the March 5 order of the High Court. In

its report on the famous excavations, the ASI has dwelt at length the

period from circa 1000 BCE to 300 BCE and from Sunga (first century

BCE) to Kushan, Gupta, Post-Gupta up to Medieval Sultanate level (12-16

century CE). The ASI report mentions a huge structure (11-12th century)

on which a massive structure, having a huge pillared hall (or two

halls), with at least three structural phases and three successive

floors attached with it was constructed later on. " There is sufficient

proof of existence of a massive and monumental structure having a

minimum of 50 x 30 meter in north-south and east-west directions

respectively just below the disputed structure, " states the report.

 

To prove its point, the report says that during the course of digging,

nearly 50 pillar bases with brickbat foundation, below calcrete blocks

topped by sandstones were found. It also suggests that the center of

the central chamber of the disputed structure falls just over the

central point of the length of the massive wall of the preceding period

which could not be excavated due to presence of Ram Lala at the spot in

the makeshift structure. Significantly, the ASI report did not give any

weightage to the glazed wares, graves and skeletons of animals and

human beings found during the excavations. Rather it suggests that the

glazed tiles were used in the construction of original disputed

structure. Similarly, the celadon and porcelain shards and animal

bones, skeletons recovered from trenches in northern and southern areas

belong to late and post-Mughal period, it adds. In drafting its report,

the ASI has also given importance to the carbon dating to ascertain the

period of soil and artefacts found during digging. About the habitation

around the disputed ground, the ASI report observed that " below the

disputed site remained a place for public use for a long time till the

Mughal period when the disputed structure was built which was confined

to a limited area and population settled around it as evidenced by the

increase in contemporary archaeological material, including pottery. "

 

The ASI report has come as a rude shock to the Sunni Central Wakf Board

and other Muslim organisations. " It is baseless, misinterpreted, based

on wrong facts and drafted under intense political pressure, " reacted

Jafrayab Jilani, counsel for SCWB while announcing that they will

challenge the report.

 

2. NCERT Scoffs at Historians' Case Against Textbook Error

News Report

 

DELHI, INDIA, August 25, 2003: The NCERT has dismissed eminent

historians' allegations that its new history text books are

" saffronised. " The National Council of Educational Research and

Training (NCERT) is an apex resource organization set up by the

Government of India, with headquarters at New Delhi, to assist and

advise the Central and State Governments on academic matters related to

school education. Adopting a combative stance, the HRD Ministry body

described the Indian History Congress (IHC)'s recently published

critique as biased. JS Rajput, the NCERT director, said on Wednesday

that the IHC's Index of Errors is " the work of scholars with

insufficient and colored knowledge whose only purpose is to reduce

young Indians' respect for their glorious past. They want us to forget

that there was a time when we Indians were world leaders in science,

medicine and astronomy. The IHC had blasted the new NCERT texts, which

replaced those authored by scholars like Romila Thapar, Satish Chandra

and Irfan Habib. The Index of Errors highlighted factual mistakes,

which allegedly proved that NCERT was implementing the Sangh Parivar's

agenda of " spreading jingoism and communal hatred through falsification

of history, " in the words of this news report. Habib describes as

" woolly headed fantasy " the NCERT text's claim that ancient Indians

knew the sphericity of the Earth or had advance knowledge of

Pythagoras's theorem. Rajput defended the lines by pointing out that

Dick Teresi, the internationally reputed scholar, has written the same

things in " Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science, " a

book published in the United States last year. Following is a

point-counterpoint of some of the disputed issues in the new texts:

 

3. New Rail Service to Famous Belur Math

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/

articleshow?msid=129336

 

KOLKATA, INDIA, August 18, 2003: Pilgrims and tourists alike now have a

third option for transportation if they choose to visit Belur Math in

West Bengal. On August 16 of this year, Rail Minister Nitish Kumar

inaugurated a rail link service to the historic site where Sri

Ramakrishna lived. Previously the article points out, " This

architectural splendor of West Bengal was accessible directly by road

transport or by ferry service from Kolkata. " Taking off from a location

near Liluah station and terminating by the side of the Belar Scrapyard,

the rail station is located close to the gates of the Math founded by

Swami Vivekananda. Built by Eastern Railway, the rail service has a

cream and saffron color scheme, runs six times each day, and the fare

will be US 8 cents for each ride.

 

 

-----------

 

HINDU PRESS INTERNATIONAL

 

A daily news summary for breaking news sent via e-mail and posted on

the web for media, educators, researchers, writers, religious leaders

worldwide and Hinduism Today magazine rs, courtesy of Hinduism

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