SASARAM: Where Sher Shah Suri lies forgotten · PDF fileSher Shah’s father Hasan Khan Suri, too, was buried in Sasaram town. His tomb is known as Sukha Rauza. The tomb of Ali Wali

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Travel &Tourism January 1, 2008Page 8

SASARAM: Where Sher Shah Suri lies forgottenSSher Shah Suri, who ruled Delhi from

1540 to 1545, left an indelible markon India. The son of an Afghan horse

trader, he succeeded in building a powerfulempire. Sher Shah is best remembered forbuilding what is called the Grand TrunkRoad, which runs across India and links theKhyber Pass (Afghanistan) to Kolkata.

This artery from the east to the west ofthe country was lined with trees so thattravellers could rest in the shade. Today, ifthere were a prize for a futuristic Pathanruler, Sher Shah would win hands down.

Sasaram, a small town on the Grand TrunkRoad, in Bhojpur district of Bihar, has a clus-ter of beautiful tombs built during SherShah’s regime. Sher Shah’s own tomb, hexag-onal in shape, was built in stone. It is the sec-ond-highest tomb in the country and has avery unusual setting. The entire structure isbuilt on a platform in the centre of a lake.

Seen from a distance the tomb looks asthough it is floating on water. You wouldhave to walk down a narrow pathway — in

the middle of the lake — to reach thetomb. It is the grandest, one of a kindPathan structure in India.

It is 76 metres wide and rises in fivepyramidal stages to a height of about 46metres. Walk around, and you can still seethe remains of glazed and painted decora-

tions on the exterior walls. A contemporaryhistorian once said, “It is one of the mostpraiseworthy tombs among those in India.”

The interior of the tomb is well-ventilat-ed and well-lit as it has large windows ontop fitted with stone jallis (lattice work).The arches on the western wall were once

adorned with verses from the Quran andglazed coloured tiles in geometrical pat-terns and floral carvings in stone enclosedin enamel borders. Much of this has van-ished with only a few glazed tiles runningon the interior of the dome and the wallsand cupolas outside. An inscription record-ing the completion of the tomb can be seenin a small arched recess on the outside wall.

The mausoleum of Sher Shah’s son SalimShah also lies nearby, in the centre of thelarge artificial lake. It was supposed to belarger than Sher Shah’s tomb, but the workcould not be completed. Still, it has astrange charm. Sher Shah’s father HasanKhan Suri, too, was buried in Sasaramtown. His tomb is known as Sukha Rauza.

The tomb of Ali Wali Khan, the architectof these wonderful monuments, is locatedon the outskirts of Sasaram. It lies in ruinstoday.

Another place worth a visit is a hill nearSasaram, which is famous for an inscription of Ashoka’s time.

Brazilian Samba to spice up Goa’s February ’08 Carnival

TThe Nongkhnum River Island onKynshai river in the West KhasiHills district of Meghalaya was

discovered by a group of studentsduring their project work in 1996.Besides proming it as a tourist desti-nation, the State Government is set toconduct a survey to ascertain if it isthe second largest river Island of Asia.Owned by four brothers of theNongslej clan, the island has only fivehouses. It also has three waterfalls —Thum, Wenia and Langshaing. The

State Government is also planning to rebuild the island’s infrastructure,particularly roads, to make it an easily accessible destination.

Come, discover Meghalaya’s river island

GG oa’s February 2008 Carnival will have a touch of the annu-al ‘Mardi Gras’ celebrations of Rio de Janeiro, with theBrazilian Consulate in Mumbai and Goa’s tourism planners

joining hands for the cultural extravaganza. Tableaux depictingBrazil’s history and multi-ethnic culture will be a part of the Carni-val parade, while a samba school band will present Brazil’s musicand dance forms, said the Consul General of Brazil in Mumbai,Paulo Antonio Pinto. Participants will be shortlisted from the Brazil-ian community in Mumbai and Goa. Swinging and swaying to drumbeats, lemanja, the Brazilian Goddess of Sea, will accompany KingMomo, when he throws open the Carnival by issuing a decree to eat,

drink and be merry. From a riot of colours to the beauty of an overjoyous human congregation, Indi-ans can, for the first time, savour the ingredients of the Rio Carnival on the streets of Goa. The pre-Lent celebrations, set to begin in the first week of February, will feature Samba dancers, led by a per-former in the garb of Iemanjain. So, gear up for some revelery in true Brazilian style.

Rashtrapati Bhavan comes closer to people

TThe Rashtrapati Bhavan will no longer be impervi-ous to the curiosity of the masses. A slew of pro-grammes has been designed to help people,

especially tourists, understand the historical and con-temporary relevance of this landmark in New Delhi. Tobring the place “closer to the people”, the imposinggates of the Presidential House were thrown open onDecember 15, 2007. The general public was familiarisedwith the ceremonial change of guard at the RashtrapatiBhavan for the first time ever. Spectators watched theaccoutred soldiers carry out the change of guard cere-mony from the foothills of the Raisina Hills to the gatesof the President’s House.

TThe 800-year-old dance form of ‘Perini Shiva Tandavam’ was celebrated at a three-day dance fes-tival at Warangal from December 8 to 10 where it was born. Perini, which has martial roots, isexclusively performed by male dancers and was originally intended to psyche up warriors for

battle. The dance form derived its name from ‘prerna’ or motivation and was invented by Jayapa Senani,the military chief of the famous Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva. It was mandatory for the warriors ofKakatiya kingdom to witness the Perini Shiva tandavam before venturing into the battlefield. Such wasthe apparent effect that immediately after watching a performance of the war dance, soldiers wouldcharge fearlessly into battle. More than 300 dancers from across the country representing 22 dancegroups took part in the festival held at the historic Warangal Fort.

TTour operators are cashing in on the rich military lega-cy of the Northeast, especially the contributionsmade by the sons of the soil during World War II. As

British Indian soldiers, many fought the Japanese army dur-ing the war. Many of those valiant soldiers have been hon-oured at the war memorials in Kohima, Imphal, Guwahatiand Digboi. The epicentre of many a battle, about 63 years ago, these sites have turned into lush, azure hillstoday and one epitaph says, “When you go home, tell themof us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today”. Theconcept of war memorial tourism is catching up in theNortheast. So, are you ready for a date with the World Warheroes of the Northeast?

Northeast to promote war memorial tourism

Warangal Fest showcases dance of warriors

TThe Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, Bombay has for the second timebeen included in the Condé Nast Traveller ‘Best for Food’ in TheGold List 2008.

Condé Nast Traveller’s Gold List is in its fourth successful year and pro-vides readers with the ultimate guide to the world’s best hotels. The pres-tigious list ranks hotels according to service, rooms, food, ambience anddesign, location and leisure facilities, taking into consideration thosehotels that have received the highest ratings in the readers’ Travel Awards2007, plus the editor’s choice.

Taj Mahal Palace in Gold List a second time