Mangadh Hill: Lesser-known story of Independence
Hello all,
This was our trip on the day of Vasi- Uttarayan. We wanted to go out from the hustle-bustle of Uttarayan in the city. So off we went to Mangadh Hill. There are so many untold stories of our independence, and Mangadh is one of them. Thanks to the government for developing such places for tourism, we value our independence, which is much needed in this time where everyone is just blindly following one or the other.
Mangadh Hill is located at the border of Gujarat and Rajasthan. It is also known as the Jalianwala massacre of Gujarat. Around 100 years ago, on 17th November 1913, Britishers massacred 1200 Bhil tribal people on this hill. The local guru named Govind Guru (Govind Giri) had launched a movement against Britishers among the tribal Bhils. The campaign was called the “Bhagat Movement”. His main aims were to promote awareness of basic Hindu rituals like vegetarianism and avoiding alcohol. He also educated them about their rights and the fight against bonded labor. During one of such gathering in Mangadh, on 17th November, it is believed that around 1.5 lakh Bhils were gathered on the hill and surrounding jungle. But the local state and Rajwara thought that it was the movement against them, and they informed the Britishers who bombarded people with machine guns and bullets. It is said that all nearby wells were flooded with dead bodies. It was one of the cruelest massacres done by Britishers in India.
The story has been told with beautiful murals on the hill, and it is one of the must-visit places in Gujarat.
There is also one museum of the things made by tribal people, but we were a little late so we couldn’t visit that. Few gazebos are also here so you can have a good picnic and enjoy your holiday with friends and family.
I wonder if there must be so many untold stories of our independence. But then, the question always comes to my mind are we as independent as we should be?
Independence
Let’s be independent
Independent from the images
Independent, to be YOU
A girl, A woman
Or
A boy, A man
Independent of gender
No shame
No pressure
Let’s be independent
Independent to express ourselves
Young people
Independent to leave the house
Parents
To enjoy their life
Independent of ‘grown-ups’
No shame
No pressure
Let’s be independent
Independent of our choices
Independence
To work till late hours in the office
To manage home beautifully
To roam in mountains
To wander in the jungle
Independent of stereotypes
No shame
No pressure
Let’s be independent
Independent mothers and daughters
Who is seeing, listening
Understanding, tolerating
All the nonsense behaviors
Let her express herself
No shame
No pressure
Let’s be independent
Independent child
Doing chores
Causing chaos
Those walls with scribbling
Those torn cushion corners
Let them argue
With you
And with themselves
No shame
No pressure
Let’s keep nature independent
The way it’s always meant to be
Let’s not ruin her
By our greed
By our materialism
By our stupidity
Let’s make a nation of
Independent adults
Independent kids
Independent mind
Independent heart
Not listening to false promises
Not believing in fake concepts
Not following the wrong ideology
Let’s be independent
Observing silently
Assessing carefully
Processing independently
Independence has many faces
Independence has many milestones
The peak is not there yet
But let the journey continue…
– Kajal Shah
Location of Mangadh :- https://goo.gl/maps/1sedK1y5WwH8VBqV9
Nice 👍
Thank you…