TALE OF TWO COMPARABLE IMAGES WITH A CONTRASTING BACKDROP

It’s an unusual combination. Both are located thousands of miles apart.

It’s the Tale of Two Monuments - One is the Great El Castillo, standing tall in the midst of a forbidden city and another is the Grand Taramati Baradari, standing high as a part of one of the fastest growing cities in the world.?

Both were built with indigenous architecture. Both are accessible through a long way of stairs to reach the top. Both have the prime monument on the zenith. El Castillo has the temple on the summit, where as Taramati Baradari used to have a dancing hall on the top that can be considered as a temple for classical dancers.

Both of these still exist with a Historical Backdrop, one stands among the ruins and another amidst of prosperity. Currently El Castillo is considered as a sacred temple and a popular tourism spot of Central America, whereas Taramati Baradari became a tourism spot consisting of a banquet hall and a performance theatre within the structure. ??

( Image: ruins of Chichen Itza City Credit: bp privilege club)

EL CASTILLO, the amazing pyramid structure of the Temple of Kukulkan, has 365 steps- one for each day of the year. The temple is accessible from all four sides with 91 steps from each side, and the top platform makes the 365th step. Incredibly, twice a year on the spring and autumn equinoxes, a shadow falls on the pyramid in the shape of a serpent. As the sun sets the shadow of snake descends the steps and joins the stone serpent head located at the base of staircase.

It is located at the great Chichen Itza City that was the part of Maya Empire located in Mexico, Central America from AD 750 to 1200.?

?Apart from religious & ceremonial place, ?Chichen Itza City used to be a busy urban centre and a hub of regional trade. After centuries of prosperity, it was invaded by other races like Toltecs. Later the city met a mysterious end.?

The limiting factor for Chichen Itza was that the city never had the permanent water source like lakes or rivers. The great city’s only permanent water source was a series of sinkhole wells. As a matter of human sacrifices to their rain god, Mayans used to throw young ladies into the IK KIL, a sinkhole well considered as sacred.

(Image: Ik Kil, the sinkhole well Credit:Archaeology - travel)

Perhaps, either the sin haunted them or the offerings were not sufficient, the city met with a baffling end. ??For unknown causes, during 1400s people abandoned Chichen Itza to the jungle. It is widely believed that exhausted soils, water shortage and severe droughts were the prime reasons.

TARAMATI BARADARI is the historical Sarai (town), which was built in 1625 AD, was part of erstwhile Ibrahim Bagh. It’s a Persian style garden and a Dance pavilion built on a small hillock. One has to take as many steps to reach the pavilion that was constructed to allow cross ventilation, using the indigenous techniques existing in those times. Bara-dari literally means 12 doors. But contrary to the name, the structure contains 5 doors on each of the four sides, thus making it a total of 20 doors.

It was built during the reign of Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah, the second sultan of Golconda, for listening the singing of Taramati and for watching the dances of her sister Premamati. As a tribute to Tara’ & Prema’, both were buried in the nearby Golkonda royal cemetery popularly known as?Qutub Shahi Tombs.

(Image: A view in the twilight Credit: Telangana Tourism)

Ibrahim Bagh is a part of Golkonda, the ruling fort of Hyderabad (also known as Bhagnagar in those days). Lying in the midst of Deccan plateau, the City never had proper drinking water source.?Still it’s a mystery how the city survived with a small tributary ( Musi) and Twin Lakes of Himayath Sagar & Osman Sagar.

The greatness of rulers in those days was that they have protected sinkhole wells and small talaabs (ponds/tanks) that stored rain water. Hyderabad & its surroundings used to have 1000 + such talaabs, which might have fetched the general water requirements.

Mere Shahr logan se mamoor kar

Rakhyia joon tun darya mein min Ya Sami

( Oh Lord, fill my city with people as thou have the river with fish)

?- prayers of Mohd. Quli Qutub Shah( founder of New City)

Perhaps, his prayers were addressed as the city grown many folds surviving a plague, mini famine, several intrusions, many in-fights, innumerable communal clashes and water shortages.

The irony is that the majority of these wells, talaabs or tanks were either encroached or polluted, leaving hardly 100+ in proper shape now. Worst part is that the two famous lakes are in the danger of extinguishing, courtesy modern day constructions within the catchment area that paved the way to faster erosion. Only a GO 111 is a saving almighty for the lakes and a haunting devil to the sharks (often known as builders and politicians).

Luckily, in 1990s, there was a vision to address the water requirements of the city. ?Later the system was meticulously planned & executed for almost two decades (by respective governments, keeping political differences aside) linking the city with water pipelines from Godavari and Krishna rivers.

Otherwise it would have been the story of another Chichen Itza.??????

?(This article is a sheer thought of mere coincidence. Courtesy Google that shows popular images by default, one of these days, ?I had the opportunity to look at the image of El Castillo. ??Immediately, It reminded me about Taramati Baradari, even though there is nothing much in common. The thought is the base for this article).

Compiled, Edited & Written by

Krishna Kishore Boddapati

[email protected]