Galtaji, also called as monkey temple, is situated in Jaipur and is lured by all kinds of tourists be it religious tourists, spiritual travellers, history buffs, travel enthusiasts, as well as people who love to observe pristine places and surroundings blessed by nature’s fauna and flora!
Why it is called as Monkey Temple
Galtaji is called the Monkey Temple because of the vast majority of macaque monkeys found here. Even Net Geo shot a documentary series in 2008 about the monkeys in the Galtaji named “Monkey thieves”. Soon after the series, the Galta ji temple became famous as the Monkey Temple of Jaipur.
History of Galtaji temple
Galtaji is a pre-historic Hindu pilgrimage site built by Diwan Rao kriparam during the eighteenth century. Kriparam was the courtier of Sawai Jai Singh 2nd of Jaipur.
Legends say that saint Galav Rishi spent his life in search of truth and did ‘Tapasya’ here in Galtaji for many years. The God, pleased with his penance, appeared before him and blessed his place of worship with abundant water.
This exists today as Galta Kund which is a holy water tank and the water here never dries. Taking bath in this holy galta kund is considered as sacred. A temple was built here to honour the saint Galav Rishi and it was named as Galtaji.
The temple also finds mentioning in Ram Charit Manas.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar sports birds too! Ever heard of an Indian Chief Minister sporting birds, that too migratory species?
Bihar’s Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has attained a unique feat: observing how bird banding is done, holding Blyth’s Reed Warbler in his hand and finally releasing it in the air (see photo here). It took place on 16 January 2021 at the State’s 1st Bird Fair held at Nagi Lake in Jamuai district.
An overflowing crowd of rural and urban character surrounded this feat to an extent that many press photographers could not satisfy their cameras’ hunger.
A brimful Nitish appeared inquisitive. He had bag full of details received when he spent good time at the stall of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), a 135-year-old organization specializing in avian studies. Nita Shah explained to him about migration pattern and the species banded by her team so far.
The banding is to decipher where birds finally reach. She pinned a BNHS badge over his chest. To this, the soft spoken Nitish extended his heartful thanks with folded hands. Prabhat Kumar Gupta as Chief Wildlife Warden, S. Sudhakar, as DFO, Bhagalpur, Satyajeet Kumar as DFO, Jamui, and Bharat Chintapalli as DFO for the Fair, were on their toes to let the event flow like the Ganges.
Dt. S. Balachandran, who has banded more than 2-lakh birds in India, Dr. Vibhu Prakash, Head of India’s Vulture Breeding Project at Pinjore, Haryana, and others from BNHS besides Bihar’s Chief Wildlife Warden, Prabhat Kumar Gupta, were around Nitish to let him search more on birds, as can be observed in a group photo published here.
Nita Shah manages such banding sites all over India as BNHS scientist.
Nitish flew in a helicopter at the Bird Fair and spent hours, observing conservation gaining ground. He addressed a gathering of rural folk artists amidst bird experts from all over the country, to thank the organisers for this event and hoped it would add a new prestige to Bihar.
Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum), the bird he released, breeds in Eastern Europe and is a winter visitor to India. It hops from trees to bushes and calls a high-pitched and loud “tek…tek…tek.”
Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar with forest officials and BNHS scientists, the lady on his right is Nita Shah, BNHS Dy. Director for bird migration project and avian studies.
The BNHS is running a ringing camp at Bhagalpur also to trap birds and release them. Strange paradox is that India has all eggs kept in the BNHS basket for bird banding. It lacks financial and other support to carry it out throughout the country. What other states are doing? The officials are unconcerned about it.
In US, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, China and even in a tiny country like Mongolia, school students and private individuals are encouraged to do bird banding, using metal rings to apply them over feet of birds. This writer happened to be a guest of Bihar to attend this Fair and appreciates the organizers for having done a much needed event.
We happen to be the first in organizing Bird Fairs in India. The 24th Indian Birding Fair is due in February at Man Sagar lake in Jaipur, being devoted to Butterfly Conservation. Welcome to join hands …(www.birdfair.org).
PS: The feature image caption should read as:
Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar releasing a ringed Blyth’s Reed Warbler at its 1st Bird Fair on 16 January 21. Helping him with this migratory bird is Dr. S. Balachandran, BNHS Dy. Director for bird banding
Indian Air Force Flight Lieutenant Swati Rathore from Rajasthan will script a history in the chapters of woman empowerment by becoming the first woman pilot to lead the flypast parade on Republic Day 2021 at Delhi’s Rajpath.
This is the first time when a woman pilot has been bestowed with the responsibility to lead the flypast parade.
Swati Rathore Family
The proud father of the pilot daughter Dr Bhavani Singh Rathore says, “My daughter has held my head high. I am overwhelmed as the dream which she saw has turned into reality.”
Rathore, who is working as deputy director in agriculture department, further appealed all parents to help their daughters fulfil their dreams.
Swati Rathore Hometown
Born in a small village in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, Swati did her schooling from Ajmer. During her childhood, her little hands made a tricolour in a painting competition where her love for her nation came out in front of everyone. Eventually, her parents pushed her to realise her dream and post schooling, she joined NCC Air Wing.
Swati had cherished the dream to become a pilot and in the first attempt, she was selected in the IAF in the year 2014. Swati’s brother is posted in the merchant navy.
Swati’s mother Rajesh Kanwar says that she never made a difference between son and daughter. This is the reason that her daughter is going to create history.
Do you know that the Hanging Bridge Kota is one amongst the longest bridges of its kind in India? Besides being the longest, it also has a unique story associated with its name.
The Alligator Sanctuary falls under the part of the hanging bridge in Chambal River, and therefore 700 meters of the bridge has been suspended with cables instead of pillars and hence comes the name Hanging Bridge.
The bridge is an engineering marvel and stretches to 1.4-kilometre in length enjoying a width of 30-metre.
The six-lane cable-stayed Bridge is situated at a 125 meters height over Chambal River in Kota.
The bridge comes equipped with all safety measures and can also predict the earthquake, storms and thunders and can send the information to control room.
Wanna see seven wonders park of the world from one place? Visit Rajasthan’s Kota district to find the the miniature version of the marvellous seven wonders here.
Inside the park there are beautiful structures of Taj Mahal, the Great Pyramid, the Eiffel Tower, Leaning Tower, Christ the Redeemer of Brazil, Colosseum and Statue of Liberty.
The park is located at the banks of the Kishore Sagar Lake which further enhances the beauty of the place.
It took more than 150 workers to complete the project.
People from all over the world have been flocking here to enjoy a lovely time with friends and family.
The food stalls inside the park offer yummy delights and people come here to have a great time enjoying a picnic with family and friends.
Republic Day 2021 is celebrated each year on January 26 in India. On this day, the Constitution of India came into effect. This year, the country marks its 72nd Republic Day amid COVID pandemic. Let’s see how, this year, the celebrations will be different in the wake of corona crisis:
For the first time in the history of many decades, there shall be no chief guest on R-Day parade and hence India will celebrate its Republic Day without any foreign leader as chief guest. Last year, President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro was the chief guest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited his British counterpart Boris Johnson to grace the Republic Day celebrations as chief guest, however, the UK PM on January 5 inform the PM about the cancellation of his India trip due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus strain.
2. Flight lieutenant Bhawana Kanth is set to become the first woman fighter pilot to be a part of the Republic Day parade this year.
3. The 72nd Republic Day will be further different as the number of participating children and folk artists have been restricted to 400 compared to over 600 last year. The decision has been taken in wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
Kiradu Temples is yet another Khajuraho in Rajasthan, which is believed to be a cursed place.
Till date, Bhangarh and Kuldhara were known as the only cities to be cursed places of Rajasthan, however, there is yet another place called Kiradu, situated 35 km from Barmer, which is now a deserted place due to many mysteries surrounding it.
Kiradu, a little far off from Thar desert region, accommodates five temples which date back to 11th century AD. Due to erotic structures of the temple, the locals here call it the Khajuraho of Rajasthan. In fact, it is also called as the mini-Khajuraho of India.
Legend says that anyone staying here in this town at evening hours would turn into a stone. Hence the temples here remain deserted post sunset and no one enters here post evening hours.
History
Kiradu initially was named as Kiradkot, which was a Kirad Rajputs’ kingdom who lived in the 6th century AD. People here were devotees of Lord Shiva as it is seen from the shrines dedicated to the three-eyed deity present here.
A Parmar clan king, known as Someshwar, took the reins of this kingdom in his hand in the 12th century. However the Turushka invaders attacked the kingdom of Kiradu and Someshwar sought the help of a sage who helped in driving out the invaders. One day, the sage took leave from king, but left behind his disciple to take care of the kingdom. During the saint’s absence, the king got disillusioned and forgot to look after the needs of the sage’s disciple.
The disciple went ill, however no one except a potter woman took care of him.
On his return, the sage was angry after knowing about the ungrateful attitude of the king and he pronounced a cursed on the kingdom, saying that the citizens in the city will turn into stone for their lack of humanity! However, he spared the potter woman and warned her to leave the town. She was asked not to look behind. However, the woman turned back and was turned into a stone.
Since then, this superstition has prevented any human being from entering the Kiradu temples after sundown.
