An Archaeological Find Turns An Obscure Village In A Bustling Pilgrim Center
@gregario888 (1276)
Aurangabad, India
September 22, 2015 12:40pm CST
The Jatwada village, located seventeen kilometers away from Aurangabad, in Maharashtra province of India, used to be an obscure village till 1987. In course of repairs to an ancient house, a portion of the base suddenly collapsed, and it let to the discovery of an underground cavity. When the debris was cleared, a statue was there, which was in an undamaged condition-later on it was established that the statue was almost 600 old. The statue was that of Mahavira, a revered figure for the followers of the Jain sect.
The Jains are a very enterprising business community of India, for them this statue was a godsend. They promptly acquired that property and those in its vicinity to turn them into a temple complex. This quaint village, suddenly acquired prominence among the Jains all over India, as well as the local administration, which promptly declared it as a pilgrim center.
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6 responses
@cahaya1983 (11121)
• Malaysia
23 Sep 15
Wow, 600 yeas old and undamaged? Pretty cool discovery. By the right people, too. I'm wondering the same thing as @valmnz , I'm sure declaring it as a pilgrim center would cause lots of people to flood into the area.
2 people like this
@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
23 Sep 15
I have added an image of that idol, in an edit to that post. It will give you an idea what it looks like.Yes, there surely has been an influx into the area, of even those people who earlier lived elsewhere. It could be due to the business generated by the tourist influx
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@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
23 Sep 15
@cahaya1983 That was the most striking thing about its find. It was extracted pretty much intact. Though a lot of debris, had fallen over it.
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@cahaya1983 (11121)
• Malaysia
23 Sep 15
@gregario888 Looks like it's in a really good condition for a 600-year old statue.
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@valmnz (17099)
• New Zealand
22 Sep 15
@gregario888 there's that positive side, bt I wondered if they resented losing their slower, quieter lifestyle.
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@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
22 Sep 15
@valmnz They seem to have cashed their quiet lifestyle for the economic gains. Now the property prices in their vicinity have gone up. With more and more tourists visiting the place, more private buses, taxis and autos (a sort of three wheeler) are plying between their habitat and the main town.
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@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
22 Sep 15
Their lives have changed. Shops have come up. The road to this village, which used to be a beat up one, has been repaired and is slated for an extension to the nearby heritage site of Ellora caves. This place has made a mark on India's pilgrim tourist circuit. The locals now, are pretty well off, since the last two decades or so.
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@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
23 Sep 15
Yes sofs! As a matter of fact, the Aurangabad city, in whose vicinity this village falls;has been declared a tourism capital of Maharashtra province. Hence the government is spending a lot to increase the overall connectivity, and basic things not only in the city but its outskirts as well. The city has already extended itself to the fringes of this village, and due to this, the villagers have benefited a lot. The prices of their properties have gone up, and so have their incomes.
@GreatMartin (23676)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
22 Sep 15
Seems for whatever reasons they are finding more and more human skeletons lately!
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@Marilynda1225 (79731)
• United States
23 Sep 15
I find it so amazing when something is discovered that is ancient. What a great story you shared
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@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
23 Sep 15
My home town has a lot to offer by way of historical monuments and places. This one held my interest since quite some time. Here I thought people may like, and they did.
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
22 Sep 15
A fascinating story. I visited the Jain temple at Ranakpur with its 144 marble carved pillars. It was beautiful there I really enjoyed my visit. I must admit to loving my visit to India and although I only toured around Rajasthan the places I saw were amazing. The architecture and craft work stunning bearing in mind they did not have such elaborate tools in those days. The Taj Mahal was beautiful.
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@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
22 Sep 15
It is wonderful that you have seen the Taj, and the Jain temples at Ranakput. Have you seen the Ellora and Ajanta caves? Or visited Aurangabad? I hope you have. It happens to be my hometown, and quite rightfully the tourism capital of the state of Maharashtra, in India.
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
22 Sep 15
@gregario888 No sadly we were only in Delhi, agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner. Rajasthan was fascinating. Who knows one day I may well visit your State.
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@gregario888 (1276)
• Aurangabad, India
22 Sep 15
@garymarsh6 Looks like your tour itinerary included only the Northern India. But that is surely, a very fascinating touring circuit.My place falls in Western India, and I suppose you'll have to plan a separate visit, to cover this region. India is a very vast country for any traveler, it is nigh impossible to cover it in one tour.
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