OUR FIGHT TO SAVE MEGALITHS

Megaliths have not received the least of the respect from the commonest of the people. They have been vandalised, towed away by villagers to be used as drain covers or as washing stones beside the wells thereby completely obliterating priceless sources of history and heritage.

Not any more: we had been tirelessly fighting to save megaliths all over Jharkhand. And we have remained successful at it.

In 2001 CMPDI went on a drilling rampage in and around Punkree Burwadih to look for coal. Our constant propaganda eventually had the CMPDI refrain from drilling in the area with a promise that they would desert their drilling task in and around PB.

In 2006 the NTPC arrived with an intention to excavate coal from Punkree Burwadih. Their project too has been named after Punkree Burwadih. Death bell has sounded for the megaliths. I know that this excavation would not only spell disaster for the environment but also for the megaliths .The GM. Mr Pathak who too was unaware of megaliths was shown the site and the significance of megaliths was explained to him. What I needed was 60 acres of land around the megaliths.Mr Pathak duly impressed with the primitive shrine assured me of protection of the site and he went on record that NTPC would safeguard the megaliths.

MEGALITHS AS HOT TOURIST SPOTS.

Jharkhand Tourism has eventually accepted our idea to project Megaliths of Jharkhand as hot international and national tourist destination. We have furnished Mr. Deepak Singh of Jharkhand Tourism a proposal in this regard, which he has accepted and has gone on record to take positive steps in this regard.

However as trailers of things to come, Jharkhand Tourism has begun advertising the megaliths particularly the one of Punkree Burwadih in magazines of Bengal. More than that JT has begun radio programmes to popularise megaliths among the common man. These are surely the first ever efforts any where in the country to project megaliths as tourist spots.

CAMPAIGNS TO POPULARISE MEGALITHS:

Megaliths in Jharkhand though have been discovered by the British way back in the 19^th cent but no attempt have been made to take them to the common people thereby informing them that Megaliths are the true relics of India’s history.

As prehistoric megaliths which were once erected by the tribals can be found every where today therefore are the true archaeological relics of India’s past which confirm that India since remote times was completely tribal.

Our efforts to popularise megaliths are numerous as:

a)     Hold seminars at schools, colleges and universities for the common students other than Archaeology and anthropology students.

b)     Hold workshops in villages where there are megaliths and teach them their importance and the significance of their preservation as our own cultural and archaeological heritage.