Jal Mahal-i
MONUMENT TO A CRUCIAL BATTLE
The Tribune, Chandigarh
Dated : 3rd March, 1994
The second battle of Panipat witnessed the fall of a hero but at the same time saw the raising of a monument at Narnaul in commemoration of the Mughal victory.
Whether the present-day generation should lament at the vanquishing of Hemu, which resulted in the consolidation of Mughal rule in the subcontinent, or marvel at the architecture the Mughals gave to India in the form of historical monuments, is a different matter, but here there is a certain relation between the two aspects.
In 1556, at Panipat, Hem Chandra, popularly called Hemu, dared the then teenaged Akbar who fought the battle under the guidance of Bairam Khan. Abul Fazal believed that Hemu had the upper hand till he was brought down by an arrow in one of his eyes and his forces, rendered leaderless, gave into Shah Kuli Khan. This general was rewarded with the fiefs of Narnaul and Rewari.
In 1591, Shah Kuli Khan raised a monument called Jal Mahal (see photograph) to commemorate his victory over Hemu. Interestingly, Hemu belonged to Rewari and rose from humble beginnings to become not only the most feared ruler of the northern region in his times but he captured Delhi and introduced reforms in very short period.
Even today Jal Mahal stands in all its majesty and grandeur surrounded by a pond which is filled with silt. This pond is a perfect square measuring 687 feet on all sides.
Mr. Raj Rup Fuliya, Deputy Commissioner of Narnaul, has now undertaken to renovate Jal Mahal by associating social organization, educational institutions and village panchayats in removing the silt from the pond. About 5 to 7 percent of the total earthwork has been completed.
A remarkable feature of Jal Mahal is its shine which has not lost its luster even after 400 years and local residents attribute this to the use of the local “Choona”.
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Jal Mahal-ii
LEADERSHIP THROUGH INITIATIVE
(Jal Mahal, Narnaul, Haryana)
The campaign for desilting Jal Mahal was inaugurated by Shri Raj Rup Fuliya, I.A.S., Deputy Commissioner, Distt. Mahendragarh at Narnaul on Second October, 1993. The Deputy Commissioner himself started digging the silt for 2-3 hours daily in the morning. Gradually, this noble task became a mass movement, as it was supported by youth, villagers, students, common people and the mass media.
Committee for the Restoration of Jal Mahal
A committee of 33 eminent persons, including govt. officers and citizens was constituted for the renovation of Jal Mahal.
National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)
Haryana Chapter of the National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) also took keen interest in the restoration work at Jal Mahal.
2nd December 1993
A 2- day Shram Dan competition was arranged at the Jal Mahal. Distt. & Sessions Judge, Sh. S. C. Jain gave away the prizes to the winners. In this competition organised by the Distt administration, various gram Panchayats, Youth organisations, Voluntary organisations and students of the Govt. Girls College participated. The competitions were organised for individuals, for groups of five, ten and twenty persons.
Jal Mahal Becomes a Centre of Attraction
Jal Mahal became the epicentre of all major activities of the Distt. Administration and a centre of attraction for the common people. Many of the functions were arranged there from time to time. A team of 14 youth from the Govt College Narnaul and Ateli was flagged off at Jal Mahal by the Deputy Commissioner to train them for adventurous activities, which included cycle-racing, mountaineering, cross-country race, river rafting and para-sailing etc.
8th December 1993
To create public awareness about the maintenance of historical monuments, a painting competition and exhibition were organised at the Jal Mahal. Its main feature was that it was participated by the students of colleges, schools and other educational institutions. It was inaugurated by Shri P. P. Chhabra, I.A.S., Divisional Commissioner, Gurgaon Division. The students were also shown around various historical monuments of Narnaul city.
29th Dec. 1993
Shram Daan Competition for the participants of National Service Scheme (N.S.S.) belonging to three colleges of Mahendragarh Distt was organized in which about 60 students participated. The Deputy Commissioner gave away the prizes to the winners and reminded that their main was to attain education, which shouldn’t be ignored. He also highlighted the need of obedience to elders, punctuality and righteous behaviour.
31st Dec. 1993
Distt Level Environment Festival was organized at Jal Mahal. Under the umbrella theme of Environment, the students participated in various competitions as Elocution, Painting, Essay Writing, Mono-Acting, Skit and Fancy Dress etc. The students were encouraged to conserve environment, create environmental awareness at mass level and stop smoking and other addictions.
2nd Jan. 1994
Various distinguished persons also encouraged this task. Minister for Energy, Govt. of Haryana, Sh. A.C. Choudhary also observed the Shram Dan work at Jal Mahal, appreciated it and announced a grant of Rs. 21000 for it. He appreciated this noble task of the Distt. Administration to conserve the heritage of our ancestors and called upon the prosperous people to cooperate in this noble task.
12th Jan. 2004
Smt. Shakuntala Jakhoo, Director, Archaeology, Haryana Govt., Chandigarh, visited the historical places of Narnaul, alongwith Sh. Raj Rup Fuliya, Deputy Commissioner, Dist Mahendragarh and officials of the Archaeology Survey of India. The historical places visited included Chor Gumbaz, Mirza Ali Ji Ki Baori, Tomb of Shah Kuli Khan, Tomb of Ibrahim Khan, Birbal Ka Chhatta and Jal Mahal.
The Director of Archaeology Deptt. also visited the historical monument Jal Mahal and saw the work of desilting being done through Shram Dan by the District Administration. She praised Sh. Raj Rup Fuliya, Deputy Commissioner, for starting this huge task of desilting the 11 acre pond, with the co-operation of the people.
Later, Addl. Managing Director of Haryana Tourism Sh. P.K. Mahapatra also visited Jal Mahal and saw the desilting in progress. He appreciated the work and said it could be developed as a tourist place and would add to the beautification of the city.
12th January 1994
Various competitions for Shram Dan were in full swing. Teams from various blocs of Distt Mehendragarh were participating very enthusiastically. Competitions for girl students of college and ITI level were organised separately.
26 th January 1994
State level Competition for Shram Dan was organized, 37 participants came from 8 districts of Haryana. It was inaugurated by Rao Bansi Singh, Development Minister, Haryana. On this occasion, the Transport Minister of Rajasthan, Dr. Rohtas Kumar, who was just passing by, saw this Shram Dan competition, appreciated this noble task and announced a grant of Rupees 25000 for it.
26 th Jan. 1994
Haryana Minister for Public Works Sh. Anand Singh Dangi also saw and appreciated the Shram Dan and announced grant of Rs. 21000 for it.
Students’ Contribution:
Students of Sr. Sec. School, Narnaul collected an amount of Rs. 11100 for this noble cause.
19th Feb. 1994
Excavation / Digging/ Desilting work on war-footing–
Initially started through Shram Dan but later camel-carts and tractors were also used and now JCB machines have also been employed.
10th March 1994
Residents of Bawal village voluntary contributed Rs. 14551 for this noble cause.
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