Motihari
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Motihari is the headquarters of Poorvi Champaran (East Champaran) district in the state of Bihar, in India.
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[edit] Cultural Heritage
[edit] Tallest Buddha Stupa in the world
Motihari is reported to have the tallest and the largest Buddhist Stupa in the world, following its discovery in 1998 through excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Rising to a height of 104 feet, and much reduced than its reported original height, it is still one foot taller than the famous Borobodur Stupa in Java. The Stupa is located near the town of Kasaria, 120km from Patna, capital of Bihar. According to the National Informatics Centre of East Champaran (Motihari) publication,the Kesaria Stupa was 123 feet tall before the 1934 earthquake in Bihar. Originally the Kesaria Stupa was reported to have been 150 feet tall, 12 feet taller than the Borobodur stupa, which is 138 feet, according to the A.S.I. report. At present Kesaria Stupa is 104 feet and Borobodur Stupa is 103 feet. The height of ‘Sanchi Stupa ‘ a world heritage site is only 77.50 feet. Legend states that Buddha, on his last Journey, is reported to have spent a memorable night at Kesaria, where he reportedly made some historical revelations, which were later recorded in a Buddhist Jataka Story, in which it was written that in his previous births he ruled as a Chakravartin. According to the story, the Buddha also asked Licchivis to return to Vaishali after giving them "Begging Bowl, and it was believed that the Stupa in Kesaria known to the people as "Raja Ben ka deora" was built by Licchivis of Vaishali before the Buddha attained Nirvana. The Chinese pilgrim, Hieun Tshang. reportedly had visited this Stupa site in the seventh century. (Based on historical facts contributed by Sri Chandra Bhusahan Pandey of National Informatics Centre: East Champararan,Motihari.)
[edit] Ashokan Pillar
This Lofty stone column reportedly was erected by King Ashoka in 249 BC in village Lauriya under Areraj subdivision. To quote Sri Chandra Bhusahan Pandey of National Informatics Centre of East Champaran, Motihari, "It is situated on left side of Areraj – Bettiah road. The pillar, known as “Stambh dharma lekh”, which bears in well preserved and well cut letters six of his edicts, is a single block of polished sand stone, 36 ½ feet in height above the ground with a base diameter of 41.8 inches and a diameter at the top of 37.6 inches. The weight of this portion only is very nearly 34 tons, but as these must be several feet of the shaft sunk in the earth. The actual weight of the whole block must be about 40 tons. This pillar has no Capital. According to report that pillar was crowned with a statue of an animals but it was transferred to Kolkata museum. The edicts of king Ashoka are most clearly and heartily engraved, and are divided into two distinct portions, that to the worth containing 18 lines and that to the south 23 lines. But now these are not good state of preservation and suffered from the effect of weather. The villages call the pillar as ‘Laur’ that is the phallus and the adjoining village is named after it Lauriya."
[edit] Mahatma Gandhi and Motihari
Motihari is the first place in India where independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi,reportedly practiced 'Satyagrah' (Request for truth). According to All India Congress Committee (AICC) publication, (http://www.aicc.org.in), during the British rule, the farmers of Champaran were forced to sow a certain part of land for opium. As a result that part of land used to get infertile very soon. In order to emancipate poor peasants from this reported British atrocities,according to AICC publication, a farmer names Raj Kumar Shukla, decided to invite Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who has just retured from South Africa. At the proposal of Raj Kumar Shukla, Mahatma Gandhi decided to come to Motihari. On 10th April 1917,the AICC report states that "a large crowd of people of Champaran witnessed the greatest architect of Indian Freedom Struggle in Motihari." The British feared his presence may unsettle people here. So, they put him in prison. Later knowing about him, the local court judge allowed him to be free on bail and leave the district. Gandhiji reprtedly refused to pay a single penny of money, saying he hasn't done anything wrong and refused to leave the district. He was hauled up in court for defiance of orders. In the course of his statement to the court Gandhi reportedly said, "As a law-abiding citizen my first instinct would be, as it was, to obey the order served upon me. But I could not do so without doing violence to my sense of duty to those for whom I came. I feel that I could just now serve them by remaining in their midst. I could not therefore voluntarily retire. Amidst this conflict of duty I could only throw the responsibility of removing me from on the administration".
The AICC report further states that that it was in Champaran that the theory and practice of Satyagrah came to be associated for the first time with the fight for freedom. "Mahatmaji went about from village to village in Champaran preaching love and inspiring faith and confidence among the people. Here he felt that his efforts for the uplift of the masses could not have enduring results unless an urge was created within them. For this, it was necessary to educate them. On the 13th of November, 1917 Mahatma Gandhi opened his first school at Barharwa Lakhansen, a village at a distance of about 20 miles to the east of Motihari. Another school was opened by Gandhiji on the 20th of November in a village called Bhitiharwa. A third school was opened on the 17th of January, 1918 at Madhuban, which had among its teachers, Mahadeva Desai."
This was the first such experiment on a large scale undertaken in India. The Motihari refusal to obey the Magistrate’s order was a case of individual civil disobedience, though limited to small district. The struggle went on for a few months. All pressure was brought by giving agriculturists notices of forfeiture of lands, but thanks to the presence of Gandhiji and his constant movement in the district from place to place, the people were not only non-violent, but were also very firm and prepared for any amount of sacrifices for the common cause. The AICC report further states, "It is worth mentioning that the Satyagrah of Champaran was responsible for initiation in the service of the motherland of two volunteers Acharya Kripalani and Deshratna Dr. Rajendra Prasad. While Bihar’s indebtedness to Mahatma Gandhi is irretrievable not only for having succored her million from the tentacles of white planters but also for having breathed into her soul the new message."
A museum and a stone pillar has been laid down in the memory of Mahatma Gandhi's presence in Motihari. It also contains Gandhiji's courageous statement given before the Magistrate inscribed on a stone. According to Sri Chandra Bhusahan Pandey, National Informatics Center: East Champaran, Motihari,"The foundation stone of this Gandhi memorial pillar was laid on June 10, 1972 by the then Governor, Mr. D.K.Barooch, and it was dedicated to the nation by Mr. Vidyakar Kavi, a grandson,on 18 April 1978.... The 48 fect long Chunar stone pillar stands exactly on the place where Mahatma Gandhi was produced before the court of the then S.D.M., Motihari in violation of orders under section 144 Cr. P. C. as far back as April 18, 1917. Mahatma Gandhi first Satyagrah was experimented on this soil of Motihari in Champaran and so Champaran has been starting point of India’s independence movement launched by Gandhi ji."
[edit] Orwell Connection
Interestingly, one of the greatest English writers of twentieth century, George Orwell, author of famous books Animal Farm and 1984, was born in Motihari in 1903. His father Richard Walmesley Blair was a sub deputy posted in the Opium department in Bihar. However, at the age of one year, child George left for England with his mother and sister.
In spite of being the birth place, this place was mostly unaware of this. Recently 2003, Motihari came to news when a number of foreigners as well as Indian journalists visited this place at the occasion of 100th birthday of this great writer. A museum in this regard is being planned to be built here.
[edit] Azizul Haque and Fingerprint Science
Azizul Haque (Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq) was one of the two Indian police officers who worked with Edward Henry in the development of fingerprint classification, known as Henry's System of Fingerprint Classificaiton, still widely used in the world. "It was Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq who evolved a mathematical formula to supplement Henry's idea of sorting slips in 1024 pigeon holes, based on fingerpint patterns. Rai Bahadur Hem Chandra Bose made further contribution to the fingerprint science by evolving an extended system of subclassificaiton, a telegraphic code for finger impresion and a system of single-digit classificaiton." (Tewari RK, Ravikumary KV. History and development of forensic science in India. J. Postgrad Med 2000:46:303-308.) Upon retirement from the Police service in Bengal and Bihar, Khan Bahadur Azizul Huq settled in Motihari, and he is buried there.
