Not isolating but integrating cultural values of Tribal communities to help conserve wildlife in India

Did you ever visit the Indian Metropolitan cities like Delhi, Bengaluru or Mumbai about 10-15 years ago? How good did it feel to visit a city as developed as New Delhi? The amenities such as rising infrastructure, transportation made everyone crave for a piece of land in these urban zones. Compare it with the current situation and you would realize how in the name of modernization we have disrupted the country's natural ecosystem.

The recent initiatives by the government of India thus point towards the involvement of local tribe communities to ensure that humans and animals coexist peacefully.

"We borrowed the idea of national park, thinking it will protect wildlife. But there are a lot of issues about people in national parks," said Aiyadurai, assistant professor of Social Sciences, IIT Gandhinagar.

On the other hand, Sanjay Dalmia, a renowned nationalist, believes that it was the British Empire that caused the stir which continues to this day. To establish their control over the regions like Bengal, Maharashtra, Britishers with their despotic laws and regulations, started transferring tribal land to the outsiders like merchants and moneylenders.

From Santhal Rebellion to the Ramosi Uprising, conservative tribal population decided to retain control over their rights. They fought to eliminate evils and ill-tendencies that existed in the British Era. Modern India does continue to reward their bravery, however the current deteriorating wildlife is a sign of why it is necessary to rehabilitate the modern tribesmen to avert more damage to the wildlife, Dalmia added.

Apparently, the people living in cities take part in conservation drives without knowing the ground realities. They wouldn't know about the realities that forest dwellers or tribal are generally affected by. For instance, a forest dweller needs to collect fuel wood for the purpose of cooking, whereas people living in the cities have access to LPG, a clean cooking fuel. This is one of the many examples and can generally be referred to as the “primitive way of living”.

"Poor people in India are depending on forests for water, fuel wood, and even homes," Aiyadurai said. Rather than isolating these communities, cultural values of these people need to be collaborated with the scientific management.

This old-age fundamentalist idea of ignoring the tribal communities needs to end. The current government has undertaken several progressive steps already. If it can help rehabilitate the tribal community back to national parks, it won't just complement their means of living but would also help in the conservation of wildlife, deems Sanjay Dalmia.

Despite being the world's largest monolithic structure, Why "Kailasa Temple" isn't regarded as one of India's greatest architectural marvel?

If culture and heritage were a currency, we would be the richest country in the world. That said, our land was once referred to as "Sone Ki Chidiya". However years of colonization, conquests and wars led to a decline in wealth, which to this day affects our nation.

Through all of these, one thing that has remained constant is the architectural and artistic prowess. From mighty South Indian temples, to non-corrosive Iron Pillar, Indian architectural marvels have stood the test of time— a testament of great artistry that ancient India possessed.

One such fine example is Kailasa Temple, an ancient Hindu temple in Maharashtra. It has been dubbed as "Cave 16" of the Ellora Caves, and is notable for being the largest monolithic structure in the world that was carved out of a single piece of rock. This beautiful temple is part of the Ellora Caves, which is a religious complex consisting of 34 rock-cut monasteries and temples.

Temple construction:

The construction of the Kailasa temple is attributed to the eighth century Rashtrakuta King Krishna I. In addition to this, the temple also has other influences as its architectural and sculptural treatment show traces of Pallava and Chalukya styles.

As per an estimate, about 200,000 tons of rock were excavated out of a vertical basalt cliff in the Charanandri Hills.

India shouldn't just be known for TajMahal as our country has a lot to offer in architecture and Kailasa Temple is one such beautiful and remarkable sculptural treatment. The temple is designed to represent the sacred mountain of Shiva and the interiors of it exhibit the qualitative and intricate designing skills of ancient India, says Sanjay Dalmia, a renowned nationalist.

The intricate sculptures and carvings:

Where on one hand the exterior designing details of the temple can make any one wonder about the beautiful craftsmanship of ancient India, on the other the interior detailing can leave even the greatest designers and architects astounded.

For instance, in the main courtyard, there is an image of Nandi, the sacred cow of Shiva, who's facing the Shivalinga. Additionally, some of the carved panels in Kailasa temple depict scenes from the two major Hindu epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

There have been numerous attempt made by invaders, especially Aurangzeb to destroy the temple. However, even his ill-fated, evil intentions, which caused destructions of countless Hindu temples in the past, couldn't move this mighty structure, adds Sanjay Dalmia.

India is truly a land of great cultural significance and despite of multiple invasions and loot by foreign invaders, our ancient structures stand to this day. It's because of their timeless beauty, invaluable craft that these structures should be paid more visits by Indians and foreigners alike.