Ancient stupa. the Buddha relic stupa was built by Lichhavis as a mud-stupa in the 5th century BC in Vaishali 55 km northwest of Patna.

An ancient structure at the Buddha relic stupa under which a casket containing ashes of the spiritual leader was kept and (right) the waterlogged premises of the park around the stupa in Vaishali. Pictures by Piyush Kumar Tripathi

Buddha relic stupa, enshrining one of the eight parts of the mortal remains of Lord Buddha after he attained Mahaparinirvana, is facing utter neglect in Vaishali.

Despite being one of the most revered sites for Buddhists and a protected one for Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), several security and management issues are posing threat to this stupa, located around 55km northwest of Patna in Vaishali district.

There is no security guard deputed here. Waste material, including plastic bags, can be seen spilled around the ancient stupa. Lack of drainage leads to waterlogging, posing threat of structural damage.

According to historical texts, the Buddha relic stupa was built by Lichhavis as a mud-stupa in the 5th century BC. The stupa was later discovered in an archaeological excavation carried out under the aegis of Patna-based K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute during 1958-1962.

The relic casket excavated from the core of the stupa contained the holy ashes of Lord Buddha mixed with earth, a piece of conch, pieces of beads, a thin golden leaf and a copper punch-marked coin. The casket was brought to Patna Museum in 1972.

Though the relic casket has been kept at Patna Museum to ensure its security and conservation, the upkeep of the relic stupa site at Vaishali is being neglected.

Sources in the ASI said there is no rainwater drainage system at the site. A senior ASI official at Vaishali said there was no permanent security guard deputed at the stupa. “Two guards were earlier deputed here for the security of the monument but they retired recently. We are facing a dearth of guards, as there has been no recruitment in the past few years. Consequently, we appoint local security guards on contract basis,” said the ASI official.

Residents claimed the stupa, famous here as Buddha Asthi-Kalash Asthal, is visited by Buddhist pilgrims from across the globe.

“Buddhists treat the stupa with utmost reverence and devotion. Every year, thousands of tourists from Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Taiwan among others, visit the site, especially during the peak season between August and March. However, issues like scattered garbage and waterlogging leave a bad impression on them,” said Amitabh Keshav, an entrepreneur at Vaishali.

Director of K.P. Jayaswal Research Institute Bijoy Kumar Chaudhary said the excavations carried out by the institute had revealed that the relic stupa was enlarged thrice between the 4th century BC and the 1st century AD, during the reigns of Mauryan, Shung and Kushan dynasties.

“After the Mahaparinirvana of Buddha, his corporeal remains were kept in the parliament house of the Republic of Mallas. However, several other republics and states also desired to possess portions of the holy relics on the basis of their association with Buddha,” said Bijoy.

He added that according to the Mahaparinibban-Sutta of Digha Nikaya, finally it was decided to distribute the mortal remains of Lord Buddha among eight republics — King Ajatshatru of Magadh (Rajgir, Nalanda), The Mallas of Kushinagar (UP), the Mallas of Pava (Saran, Bihar), the Brahman of Vetha Dipa (Bettiah, Bihar), the Bulis of Alakappa (Saran), the Sakyas of Kapilvastu (UP), the Koliyas of Ramagram (Nepal) and the Republic of the Licchavi of Vaishali.

According to Buddhist literature, king Asoka collected three-fourth mortal remains of Lord Buddha from the seven stupas enshrined with Buddha’s relics — except the Koliyas of Ramagram — and divided the mortal remains into 84,000 parts.

Asoka then built Asokan stupa and Asokan pillars on the nirvana — path of Lord Buddha from Lumbini to Kushinagar.

Most of the Asoka stupas vanished in the 2,500 years’ time but four such stupas can still be seen in Bihar.

source :The Telegraph

Urban development and housing department (UDHD) is set to launch the first lot of 20 semi-low floor buses in PATNA

 

UDHD minister Samrat Chaudhary will commission the buses to be deployed under the Centre-sponsored Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The minister said the operators would have to maintain the vehicles.

Bihar urban infrastructure development corporation (BUIDCo) managing director Anupam Kumar Suman said the buses would be parked at the Phulwarisharif and Malsalami depots belonging to Bihar State Road Transport Corporation (BSTRC). Suman said Adie Broswon, a Delhi-based firm, would look after the operation of the buses and their drivers, conductors and other support staff. It would also look after the daily cleaning of the buses once they reach the depots.

Commuters would be issued printed tickets from electronic ticketing machines (ETMs) and a strict vigil would also be kept on overloading on the buses using high-end surveillance system, including closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and global positioning system (GPS). The provision for monthly passes is likely to be introduced in a month.

The buses will ply on two routes ? Gandhi Maidan to Saguna Mor via Bailey Road and Gandhi Maidan to Danapur via Digha-Kurji. A per the JNNURM provisions, Rs 2 will be the fare for the first two kilometres, Rs 7 for 5km, Rs 11 for 10km and Rs 15 for 15km.

The 32-seater buses will have dedicated space for one wheelchair. The GPS and CCTV cameras will be installed on them for surveillance. Light emitting diode-based electronic route display system besides an announcement system will also be installed on the buses.

Ozone Overseas Private Limited, a Delhi-based firm, has already started installing 216 swanky queue shelters at 108 locations across the city. The locations have been decided considering the existing major corridors for traffic movement in the city, including Ashok Rajpath, Patna-Digha-Danapur Road, Bailey Road, Hardinge Road and Kankarbagh road, among others. The new queue shelters are being made of stainless steel, polycarbonate sheets and prefab material at estimated cost of Rs 13.72 crore.

The central sanctioning and monitoring committee under the JNNURM at its 69th meeting on February 20 and 21, 2009, had approved Rs 135 crore for purchasing buses for Patna and Bodh Gaya under the urban transport scheme.

source TNN>TOI

Bihar's first time Spinal Cord Injury successfully treated by Stem Cell Therapy in AIIMS PATNA.

AIIMS-Patna achieved a major feat  by performing first stem cell therapy in Bihar. A very rare experiment done in select hospitals of the country, stem cells therapy was performed on a Chhapra patient whose spinal cord has been damaged.

Stem cell therapy includes impregnation of cells of bone marrow in a patient. It is done in cases when all other therapies fail to repair the damaged cells of an organ, a team of AIIMS doctors extracted 190ml of bone marrow from the patient. A special kit was procured for the purpose by the institute from Delhi. The marrow cells were then sent to Mahavir Cancer Sansthan, which is very close to AIIMS, for centrifugation. After centrifugation, 30 ml of stem cells were obtained from the marrow.

The doctors brought the marrow cells back to the institute in afternoon and at 1pm they impregnated the cells in the patient. They were able to successfully impregnate them into vertebral artery. Via brain, the cells travelled to the artery of spinal cord and settled exactly at that portion of the cord in which the cells were damaged. The doctors took all precautions to avoid any complication, that included a possible brain stroke.

The speciality of the stem cells is that they settle only in that portion where they are required, and not anywhere else. The cells are now expected to grow of their own and it is expected that they will replace the damaged cells of the cord. As of now, the doctors are not in position to say anything about the success of the therapy. Empirically, they say, the success rate of such experiments is not bad.

The patient, 24-year old Shankar, had fallen from roof and got his spinal cord damaged. He was admitted to AIIMS-Patna a month ago. The doctors were thinking of doing stem cell therapy on him for 20 days.

If the cells grow successfully in the damaged spinal cord of Shankar, it will be a great boon for him because, as of now, the lower half of the body is completely paralysed. He is not able to move his lower limbs.

AIIMS-Patna director Dr G K Singh said, "It is a major achievement for us. After three months, we will be able to asses the development of growth of cells. The patient is fit and under observation." The team that performed the therapy included doctors of orthopaedic, biochemistry, anaesthesia and radiology departments.

source TOI

Bihar always has had a culture of kabaddi will be great success in near future -The chairman of the Bihar State Kabaddi Association (BSKA), Anjani Kumar Singh

It's not very often that the most sought after and nurtured sport in the country takes a back seat to an indigenous game like kabaddi. But if the chairman of the Bihar State Kabaddi Association (BSKA), Anjani Kumar Singh, is to be believed the latter holds the edge over cricket in the state right now.

"The state always has had a culture of kabaddi. It's surprising but people here are more a kin to it than cricket or any other sport where the glamour quotient may be higher," says Singh. "Most of the youngsters who pursue sports belong to the rural areas. They do not have sufficient funds to provide or take up some sport that requires costly equipment. Kabaddi requires nothing of the sort; it can be played anywhere. All you need is an empty ground."

With the Patna Pirates set to take centre stage  at Patliputra Sports Complex here, Singh believes the Pro-Kabaddi league will provide the much-needed boost to take the game to an international platform. Singh is also happy that the players can lead a better life because of the league.

"The players have great expectations from this tournament. This is a good opportunity for them for getting noticed and get government jobs. Since most of them come from underprivileged families, it ensures much-needed financial support."

Speaking on the issue of various media organizations and celebrities like Abhishek Bachchan having acquired a stake in the league, an elated Singh said, "Earlier one had to depend on the government to get money but now with the corporate houses and celebrities eager to be a part of the development, I hope the sport will grow from strength to strength."

Having hosted the 2012 kabaddi World Cup with success, BSKA secretary Kumar Vijay, too, is optimistic that the home association will deliver again. "It will be a milestone in the realm of kabaddi in India," he said.

With each of the eight teams in the league featuring three foreign players, the secretary believes the league is the best bet to get the sport registered as an Olympic discipline. "To be an Olympic sport, the game needs to be played by at least 50 countries. At the moment, kabaddi is played in around 30 nations and with three foreign players in each of the team in the league, with a worldwide audience, we can hope to spread the game farther."

Singh, who has been a part of the Indian kabaddi contingent to China during the Asian Games in 2010, feels India has the infrastructure to do well internationally. "We are always assured of the gold in Asian Games because our players perform exceedingly well there. The country has the right infrastructure to develop the game but what the youngsters need is more exposure to the sport. District-level matches should be organized to get people's attention," said Singh.

The league, which has already seen to frenzied support in Mumbai and Kolkata, will be an even greater success in the state, he said. With women to be part of the league next year, things can only get better for kabaddi in Bihar.

Abhishek's cheerleaders: Amitabh, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh, Aamir Khan

By 

Bollywood Correspondent

Published Monday, July 28, 2014

 

The first edition of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in India, started on 26 July with eight franchises in the fray. The tournament, which is modelled after the hugely successful Indian Premier League (IPL), ends on 31 August.

source :TOI