Friday, July 13, 2012

Mama Bhagne Pahar at Dubrajpur, Birbhum, West Bengal.

Mama Bhagne (wikipedia link) Pahar is a rock formation near Dubrajpur town of district Birbhum in the Indian state of West Bengal. Dubrajpur is regarded as a tourist spot for the very existence of this rock formation.


The Entrance
It is a pair of almost spherical natural boulders of granite rock, one balancing on the top of other. The balancing of the rocks are so surprising that it is a famous landmark in West Bengal, where it is known as Mama-Bhagne (the uncle and the nephew ). The site has a number of boulders splintered across the place. It is the extreme eastern part of the Chota Nagpur plateau where "the granite is gray and composed of glassy quartz pink, gray feldspar and black mica." At the base of the rocks is a temple of Shiva entitled Pahareswar.

A view from the Entrance

Look at the Shape


The appearance of the place has a kind of strange feelings. The surrounding areas are plains with agricultural fields and human habitats. But this place, not more than a sq. Km area in total is literally crowded with rocks of various sizes and shapes. Though most of them have a roundish shape but their variety of sizes and placing of one over another in somewhat astonishing. there is no doubt that local people and some very old mythologies took full opportunity of this strange yet beautiful place.


Stairs were made for easy navigation of the place

Does not it seem that the smaller one is crying and the bigger one is patting?
Sometimes it's hard to guess in which direction we are moving


It is said when Ram decided to attack Ravan he found it necessary to throw a bridge across the straits for the conveyance of his troops, he drove in his aerial chariot to the Himalayas, picked up what stones he needed and drove back. As he was passing Dubrajpur his horses took fright and tilted up the chariot and so some stones fell out. These are the stones at Mama Bhagne.
 


There is no shortages of sizes and shapes
 There is an another story. There ia another legend to the effect that they were collected by Viswakarma, at the command of Shiva, to erect in one night a second Kasi. When he collected the rocks and was about to commence work day dawned and so he left.
It looks like an ancient animal

There are doubts regarding the reason behind the existence of such rocks. The most acceptable one is that these rocks are very extended parts of the Chotonagpur Plateau. The nearby soils get lower by means of erosion due to natural phenomena like water, air etc. But the hard rocks remained less affected and thus remained erected. 


Look at their placings

Some people are of the view that these rocks were formatted due to a very small volcanic eruption. The lava so erupted got cooled in due time and formed those rocks. A 'Hot-Spring' near this place may support this view.


Me beside the famous Mama of the Mama-Bhagne

The 'Mama'

Look at the base of the 'Mama'. This rock stands almost on two points only. The  remaining parts are  left untouched
The 'Bhagne'

From the plains
But it does not matter what is the reason behind, this place is unique of its kind.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Mridil,
    Mama Bhagne pahar is really so beautiful place,
    Thanks for posting such nice article to sharing with us..
    Rajasthan tour operator

    ReplyDelete
  2. Is there a parking place there. How do I reach there from bakreswar. Please help

    ReplyDelete

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