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Our Bureau/
The mighty men of the world do not attain immortality merely because of some extraordinary feat of their own. Overwhelmed by their mighty deeds, some people become determinedly active in such men’s pursuit of immortality.
There is evidence of such a rare phenomenon at Jamalpur in Munger district of Bihar. Indian Railway (Eastern Railway) and Anand Marg, a world-wide socio-spiritual organization has managed to keep alive the memory of one 159 years old most memorable events in the history of India among the people till today.
Any outsider could be surprised to find the story of two graves, one of a wild tiger, first in its kind in India and another one of a young Forman of the
locomotive workshop of Jamalpur here. Earlier initiative by the railways to build a tomb to keep the memories alive of the British official who fought
bravely with a wild tiger to save his wife from the wild beast and succumbed to his grievous injuries in the fight, was really appreciable. But more appreciable was the construction of another tomb of that wild beast which was killed by the brave young British in that open animal-human conflict.
There were numerous instances of human-animal conflicts in the country in early times. But the story of Jamalpur is unique in its kind. And more interesting is that the incident which turned as a legend, still alive in this region in folk tells in this region.
Outskirt of Jamalpur township under the foothills of picturesque Kali Pahari (a hill , that is the extension of Kharagpur series of hills known as Kali Pahari) and amid the sylvan clam still thrills any outsider to witness the tombs that reflects the gallantry and valor of that 27 year-old British officer, Thomas Quilem Roberts.
It was the fateful morning of June 13, 1864, Eliza, the pretty wife of Thomas had went out for a walk in the filed which was located at the foothills of Kali Pahari when a Royal Bengal tiger attacked her. Finding her beloved in the jaw of death, young Thomas jumped on the wild beast with a double barrel gun which he accidently carrying with him that day. Eliza minutely escaped from the tiger which turned and attacked Thomas even after received bullets on its body. “They fought a firce battle and finally both the Englishman and the tiger was dead,” local people who inherited the story generation wise, said.
Before joining to Jamalpur railway workshop, Thomas was at Volcan Foundary Warrington, a English locomotive manufacture company at Lancashire in UK. After the incident, Thomas’s fellow colleagues erected the monument in his memory but they equally gave importance to that wild beast who was responsible for killing Thomas. They also founded another tomb of the tiger, a few yard from the grave of Thomas.
Much interestingly, the founder of Anand Marg, Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar who also born and brought up at Jamalpur town, used to sit on the grave of the tiger in the dead of nights for meditations. “It is said that from early childhoods, Anandamurti Ji, (the spiritual name of Late Sarkar) he had selected the tomb of the tiger and nearby forest for his meditations. Even he used to teach and demonstrate mysticism and meditations to his disciples many times on this grave of the tiger. He also used to write many books scriptures of spiritualism by the light of a lantern while sitting on this grave of the tiger,” claimed Ajay Kumar, a follower of Anand Marg.
Kumar a native of Ajodhya in Uttar Pradesh who visited this grave with a group of followers of Anand Marg from Russia was taking to the team of News5 Pm at the site on the afternoon of March 25. His foreigner friends were busy on performing meditations on the grave of the tiger.
“Look how the people from Russia are on meditation while avoiding the burning Sun on their heads. Since our Anandmurti ji used toconduct the practices of elementary philosophy and used to conduct such meditation to guide human conducts, spiritual aspirants, both Indians and the foreigners like to sit on the grave of the tiger to enjoy the special meditation. Such meditations always give positive vibration in the mind of a meditator,” claimed another Sannashi (monk), Rampreet from Barabanki of Uttar Pradesh.
“We are really surprise to find how spiritual aspirants from around the world still come to see the grave and meditate on the grave of the tiger, really that’s why this place not only converted into the incredible spiritual heritage site but also keep the memory of Thomas alive,” said Raja Bose and Vikramjeet Singh of Discover Bhagalpur, a history channel to explore such heritages of Bihar. Discover Bhagalpur team was here to shoot a documentary. Bose pointed out that sitting on tiger skin’s has been a long practice for conducting meditations and other rituals in Indian Hinduism. “Even we find Lord Shiva in tinger’s skin costume, so it symbolizes power and divinity,” Bose aclaimed.
This picturesque site is also known as Bihar’s unique natural golf ground which once developed by the than British. But after Independence, Eastern
railways developed as Railway Ecological Golf Club. “Every year thousands of people including the foreigners visit the place. The family members of Thomas from UK also visit the place every year,” said a railway official. The official also added that the railways has been taking care for the maintaining conservation of the two tombs equally since long.
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