Parihaspora locals allege complicity of Tehsildar and police; blame administration for inaction
7th century Buddhist structures facing destruction
Srinagar: It’s not only official neglect but official complicity too that has brought the seventh century Buddhist structures at Parihaspora in Pattan on the verge of obliteration.
“The extraction process has been going on here without any respite for past many years and now the situation is such that the monuments might cave in any time.”
Despite being the an area of great archeological importance housing ancient seventh century Buddhist structures including a temple of Kanishka’s and Lalitaditya’s eras, the Gawadran area in Parihaspora Pattan in north Kashmir Baramulla district is under the sickle these days.
Locals allege their repeated pleas to the concerned agencies have failed to move them.
Quoting a delegation of local residents, KNS news agency said people allege the complicity and patronage of the Tehsildar Pattan and blame Station House Officer (SHO) of Police Station Pattan as being responsible for some irreparable damage being done to the archeological site and its structures.
Even though the structures at Gawadran Parihaspora are protected monuments under the Ancient Monuments Act, yet the extraction of soil from the area continues without any respite. They say a local landlord, who has procured some 40 kanals of land around the archeological site for setting up some business there, is using mechanical excavators for soil extraction.
“The extraction process has been going on here without any respite for past many years and now the situation is such that the monuments might cave in any time,” the delegation said.
They said they had reported the matter to the district administration as well as to the authorities at Archeology, Archives and Museums department, “but so far no action has been taken”.
The officials in the Archives department say they had reported the matter at Police Post Mirgund as well as at Police Station Pattan “but the SHO there is not ready to entertain an FIR in this regard,” reported KNS.
Confirming the archeological importance of the area vis-à-vis its history dating back to Kanishka’s time, KNS quoted an official as saying that there is evidence suggesting that in the seventh century, Kanishka has organized a Buddhist conference at Parihaspora. Experts say there are proofs suggesting presence of some really important archeological artifacts in the area which needs further exploration.
“However, if the extraction of soil and subsequent constructions continue, there is little doubt that the world might lose this important historic site forever,” warned an official.
He said as per the Ancient Monuments Act, there can be no extraction or construction activity even in the vicinity of any protested place. “Whatever is happening at Parihaspora is completely illegal and violation of law and it couldn’t happen without the active connivance of police,” the official, who didn’t want to be named, confessed.
Locals informed that on Saturday Deputy Commissioner Baramulla visited the site and ordered that extraction process be halted “but immediately after DC left the area, the activity was resumed and excavators employed to take out soil from the area.”
It is pertinent to mention here that besides being a protected site, Parihaspora, owing to its historic and archeological importance, is also being brought on the tourism map.
“In this connection the Union Tourism Ministry as well as the Tourism department in Kashmir have already initiated measures through formal communication with the district administration, but these files too are gathering dust as no one in the administration seems interested in protecting this site,” KNS quoted some officials as saying.
(Kashmir Images)