Nagpur Heritage - My ‘Temple Run’ Experience !!!

Rukmini Temple

Once I began my career as Travel Freelancer two years back, the first assignment I got was to accompany a lady as a translator. The lady - Dr. Cathleen Cummings, Graduate Program Director & Art History Program Director, Associate Professor, Department of Art and Art History, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, USA,  had been visiting Nagpur for her study on the temples built during the Bhonsla period especially during the Raje Raghuji II (1788-1816).

During our first meeting we discussed the temples which needed to be traced in the lanes of Itwari and Mahal area of Nagpur. Our Initial visit was the temples at Sangameshwar (Sangam chawl) at Buldi. It was like an opening over of the cricket match just to have the feel. But as the days unfolded and our visits entered the lanes and by-lanes of Mahal and Itwari, I could feel the seriousness of the visits.

I must confess, once I saw the Munshi temple, Rukmini temple in Mahal and Venugopal Temple at Tulsibag, I was spellbound by the sheer beauty and the grandeur. The intricate work of the artisans is praiseworthy. You just stand there and appreciate the bygone era.  

Rukmini Temple

The temples constructed during the period had a major influence of Orissan style and Peshwa style to some extent.  I would rather not go into the technicalities of the temple architecture style. Surely, the experience which I gained during our numerous visits across the Nagpur city and the nearby Ramtek and Chandrapur was an eye opener.

These are the neglected beauties, constructed with lot of faith, have the touch of artistry and needs our attention. Once upon a time they stood tall,  looking over the vastness of the Bhonsla regime. Now encroached and dwarfed by the taller flat schemes, these structures give you a feeling of loneliness and to tell you honestly,  its very depressing. During one such visit, we both saw the beautiful sculptures being used to dry the clothes and inner wear.

What started as a translator job, turned out to be a study tour where lot of research inputs were taken with the help of experts, friends, books and the internet. The good thing was, this month long activity gave me exposure about our very own heritage of Nagpur and the region.

We have a subject of History in our Tourism course which has a paper on Temple Architecture. The Khajuraho style, the Orissan Style, Indo Islamic architecture, the Dravidian style were part of the course ware purely for knowledge and information purpose. Now, here I was, looking at the numerous untold stories, minutely carved in the stones, showing me the mirror, right here in Nagpur. A tight slap on my face !!!

Murlidhar Temple Sonegao, Nagpur

The modernization of Nagpur has secluded them and as pointed by Dr. Cummings, we should be ashamed of the neglect of these temple structures.

My wife Dr. Sampada Naseri, Assistant Professor at Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Nandanwan, Nagpur arranged for the lecture of Dr. Cummings for the students of History department at her college. Since the students could not understand English, I took this additional task of explaining them in Marathi. During the lecture, Dr.Cummings mentioned that, had these temples  been in Rajasthan, the tourist would have thronged them  much to the delight of the Government Tourism Department.

On the positive note, we took students for the temple tour in Mahal the very next day.

I also visited the Fort Temple of Lord Rama and the group of temples on the banks of  Ambala  lake in Ramtek and the Anchaleshwar temple at Chandrapur as the part of the assignment.

A Temple on the banks of Ambala Lake, Ramtek

As discovered during our ‘Temple Run’, many of them have lost their identity. One such Ganesha temple is now a part of the flat scheme. Still, the rituals are being performed there as informed by the priest. One of the beautiful temples just besides Kotwali or the police station in Mahal is in dilapidated condition. The temple shikhara, and the wooden sabha mandapa is still there but one could see the stalls and shops encroaching the premises.

Lot of them are now either in legal tussle or managed /owned by the third party. Fortunately, we only come to know about the past glory from the storytellers, historians and the custodians of Nagpur.

The octagonal design in Amabala lake
Ramtek

I shared this experience at our annual alumni meeting in the Post Graduate Department of Travel and Tourism, Ancient History and Archaeology, University Campus, Nagpur and emphasized the need of the role of the translators and guides locally in Nagpur. Our city is the gateway to the Tiger reserves so the demand for local naturalists is evident. Equally important is the role of the trained Guides sharing information with the inbound tourists.

Anchaleshwar Temple
Chandrapur

 We have a group in Nagpur, the Architectural Sankul,  trying to revive the idea of loving your heritage of Nagpur. This motivated team lead by Dr.Madhura Rathod and Ar. Nitika Ramani, regularly conduct the Heritage walks. Now with the help of INTACH, they have implemented an idea of Heritage Clubs in the schools and have been training the school teachers. Recently during the lock down they conducted an Online Poster making competition. This team definitely needs a loud applause. Keep up with your good work Team Architectural Sankul !!!

Besides, there are lot of unsung warriors in Nagpur who have been fighting to save these structures. Many of them I don’t know in person but I am aware about their efforts. 

As long as we have such a dedicated team of people around, there is a hope for preserving the heritage of Nagpur .

We are blessed to have them and should take pride in conserving them !!!

Amit Naseri

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