-- Swami Brahmavidananda
A few days ago was Engineer’s day. Why would India of all countries celebrate ‘Engineers day’? I am sure many of you know that it is the Jayanti of Mokshagundam Vishveshvaraya, Bharat Ratna, one of the greatest engineers of modern India. It is a good thing to celebrate this day. As a nation, we have some phenomenal engineering feats. For example near Kumbhalgarh, 20 km away from Ranapur we have the second largest wall in the world, second only to the Great Wall of China. It is an engineering marvel but not known to many people.
Many of the places of historical importance are not known anyway. Of course, most of us know about the rust-free iron pillar in Delhi. What about the engineering and architectural feat of the great temples in South India, like the Brihadeeshwara temple? The dome is a single rock weighing more than 100 tons. How did they ever manage to transport it to that place without any cranes or bulk moving equipment? Well, they built a ramp, an inclined plane that was 5 km long, transported by elephants.
The whole temple is a magnificent marvel of that time which stands tall today. Similarly, some temples are designed in such a way where the murtis of navagraha, nine planets such that the sunlight falls on the murti on the day that planet is in the ascendant, rising star. So, these are all great feats of great mathematical and engineering precision. I think all of us as Indians should be aware of some of these if not all. In Rajasthan, there were deep wells which had rooms all around and were underground, where people could rest. Such and more engineering marvels are there in India which are not taught in our history. Maybe with the new Education policy and the rise of tourism more and more such engineering delights will come to light. So it is fitting that we are celebrating Engineer‘s day.
(The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya Foundation. You can write to him at aarshavidyaf@gmail.com)
