Parvati temple, which is in Pune has been on my must visit list for a long time. Finally, last week I made it possible. The Parvati temple, which was built by the Peshwa dynasty, is a well-maintained hillock in Pune, India. You need to climb about 100 steps to reach the top. The Parvati temple is at the highest point in Pune, which attracts numerous visitors every day. Many are seeing doing the rounds as part of their exercise schedule. It has a Parvati temple, at the hill top from where you can view entire Pune East. Though the climb is steep, it was fun once we reached atop the terrace. Only problem is that the terrace was not barricaded and can be dangerous to climb up with small kids. This temple houses a museum in its premises and many small temples with various Hindu Gods and Goddesses – namely Devdeveshwar temple, Lord Kartikeya temple, Lord Vishnu and Lord Vitthal temple. 

The museum houses the remnants of Peshwa dynasty and is worth visiting. You have to shell out only a minimal amount in the name of entry fee to visit the museum.  Also, there is a small canteen in the premises offering few refreshments here and there. The Parvati temple can be visited anytime after 5.00 am and remains open till 8.00 pm. This has been one of the must visit places in Pune and if for nothing else go check this place out for it offers a beautiful view of part of Pune, which am sure will leave you mesmerized. 

Image Source: Author

There are more than 500 forts in India and every State has them. The oldest surviving fort in India is the Qila Mubarak at Bhatinda built in 100 AD during the Kushan empire. The oldest mentioned fort is the Kangra Fort in Kangra, HP, supposedly built after the Mahabharata battle and written about by the writers in Alexander the Great's expedition into India in 323 BC.

Throughout history in India and abroad high walled structures  have been associated with providing protection to its inhabitants. In Sanskrit forts are called durg, in Hindi a qila or garh or gad. Fort is an English word popularised by the British who after taking over the country started recording and cataloging the forts of India. Basically a fort was a capital of the local king or raja and around it usually grew a full-fledged township. Two forts of India the Agra Fort and the Red Fort are on the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The capture of a fort many a times turned the tide of history. The capture of Qila Mubarak in Bhatinda in 1004 AD by Mahmud of Ghazni resulted in the commencement of Islamic era in India. Shivaji built many forts and fought the Mughals out of them.

Forts are constructed out of sand, mud or stone. The strongest are the forts made of stone. The surroundings of  a fort also played a very important role in there security and protection from enemies. Jal durgh is a fort surrounded by water. Giri durgh are forts situated on top of sloping hills like Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur. Van durgh are forts surrounded by thick forests. Dhanu durgh are forts situated in barren desserts and far way from nearest civilian areas. Mahi durgh are forts surrounded by thick walls made from mud, stones or bricks. These forts were built according to layout prescribed in Arthashastra and by Manu the law giver from ancient times.

Whenever forts are mentioned in India the first fort that comes to mind is the Red Fort in Delhi. Its location makes it highly visible.  The other fort which is also equally famous is the Agra Fort in Agra. The other majestic forts are the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, the Jaisalmer Fort, The Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur and the Gwalior Fort in Gwalior. We shall describe below these five forts in some detail below :

The Red Fort : 

The Red Fort is situated in old Delhi opposite Chandani Chowk. It had the distinction of the unfurling of the tricolour flag after independence by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and its unfurling from its ramparts every Independence Day thereafter. It thus holds a special place in every Indian's heart and mind.

The Red Fort is popularly known as Lal Ouila after the red sandstones from which it is constructed.  It was originally known as quila-e-Mubarak as the King stayed in it. It was built in 1648 by the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It served as the residence and court of the Mughal kings for the next two hundred years till 1857 when the British captured it and partially destroyed it.

The octagonal shaped fort covers an area of 255 acres, enclosed by 2.41 km of perimeter defensive wall whose height varies from 18 to 33 meters. The artwork of the fort is Persian, European and Indian in style.

Its construction was started on 13 May, 1638 and completed in 1648. It lies along the river Yamuna. Upon its construction the capital of Mughal Empire was shifted from Agra to Delhi.

Of its 14 gates its three famous gates are the Lahori Gate, Kashmiri Gate and Delhi gate. Few other  are Turkman, Mori and Ajmeri gates. Many gates have been destroyed.These were used by the public and the Khizarabad Gate was used by the emperor. The Diwan-e-Aam or the Public Hall measures 540 by 480 feet and is surrounded by guarded galleries. It was here the emperor interacted with the common public. The Diwan-e-Khas was were the Peacock Throne was placed and the emperor received state guests.

The Mumtaz Mahal housed the ladies of the court. The Rang Mahal housed the emperors wives and mistresses. The Khas Mahal was the abode of the emperor. In 1659, Aurangzeb added the Moti Masjid as his private mosque. There are small gardens inside the Fort. The water was drawn inside the fort from the Yamuna through a column known as Shahi Burj.

The Red Fort saw the decline of Mughal power after death of Aurangzeb. In 1857 it was abandoned by the last Mughal,  Bahadur Shah Zafar, but he was arrested and brought back as a prisoner, tried and exiled to Rangoon in 1858. Thereafter the British allowed the Fort to be plundered, looted and destroyed of its rich walls, precious stones, furniture and immense damage was done to its many structures. The fort, after Independence was used as an Army cantonment till 2003. Today it is under the Archeological Survey of India who are trying to restore its pristine glory destroyed by the British and earlier by the barbaric Nadir Shah who took away the peacock throne to Iran.

Today Red Fort is used for hoisting the national flag every Independence Day by the Prime Minister. A Sound And Light show is also held everyday inside the Fort. In 2007 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Today the Red Fort is a much visited tourist site and is closed on Mondays.

The Agra Fort: 

Shah Jahan built the Agra Fort in Agra before building the Red Fort in Delhi. Agra was the seat of Mughal Empire. It is situated about 2.5 kms from the world famous Taj Mahal.

The present day Fort stands on an earlier fort which existed from 11th century on wards. It was captured by the Lodhi kings before the Mughals seized it after the first Battle of Panipat in 1526 and acquired in the loot the famous diamond Koh-i-Noor. Babur and Humayun stayed in the Fort till 1540 when Humayun lost it to Sher Shah Suri. In 1555 Humayun recaptured it only to lose it to Hemchandra Vikramaditya or Hemu. It was Akbar who recaptured it from Hemu following the second Battle of Panipat in 1556. 

It was Akbar who was responsible for rebuilding the fort after he made Agra his capital in 1558. The old brick fort was rebuilt with red sandstone from Barauli area of Rajasthan. The renovated fort was completed in 1573 after eight years of reconstruction. However it was Shah Jahan who created the present look fort with white marble laden with precious stone buildings.

The fort is spread on 94 acres and is semi circular in shape with seventy feet high walls alongside the Yamuna river. It has four gates on four sides. Abdul Fazal the court historian records that nearly 500 beautiful buildings were built inside the fort. Many of these were demolished by Shah Jahan and the British to make way for new structures including barracks for soldiers. Its Delhi gate is grand and considered to be a masterpiece. It was built in 1558 and has artwork inlays of white marble. The fort has both Islamic and Hindu architecture decorations and styles. 

The fort existed in a different form under the Rajput kings and was also known as Badalgarh after Raja Badal Singh. Certain discoveries are indeed pointing to the fact that a fort existed at this site during the time of King Ashoka the Great. Unlike other forts in general, the Agra Fort is built on plain ground but architecturally gives the semblnace  of a sloping edifice. 

The fort is spread on 94 acres and is semi circular in shape with seventy feet high walls alongside the Yamuna river. It has four gates on four sides. Abdul Fazal the court historian records that nearly 500 beautiful buildings were built inside the fort. Many of these were demolished by Shah Jahan and the British to make way for new structures including barracks for soldiers. Its Delhi gate is grand and considered to be a masterpiece. It was built in 1558 and has artwork inlays of white marble. The fort has both Islamic and Hindu architecture decorations and styles. 

The Akbar Baoli is a 8 meter in diameter and 25 meter depth step well for drawing water and also for providing relief from the intense heat of Agra in summer. The Diwan-e-Aam is built on a raised platform and is 61.77m long by20.12mwide hall with 48 large pillars for support. The Diwan-e-Khas was built as a permanent structure by Shah Jahan in 1636. It consists of two interconnected halls, an outer columned hall and an inner closed hall, consisting of roofs supported by multifold arches emerging from fine marble pillars, with relief carvings of floral motifs richly decorated with inlay of semi precious stones. 

The fort also has a Turkish bath known as Sheesh Mahal which was constructed in 1637. It consists of a large number of fine mirrors on the arches,walls and the ceilings with irregular geometric and floral patterns, which create a mesmerising scene when candles were lighted. It was the luxurious bath of the kings Khas Mahal. There was also the Moti Masjid for the king to offer his prayers and was also an elegant structure.

Although Akbar started the renovation of the fort it was Shah Jahan who built inside it magnificent structures. Three Mughal Kings reigned from its premises namely Akbar, Jehangir and Shah Jahan, before the latter shifted his capital to the Red Fort in Delhi. 

In May 1666 Shivaji the Maratha King came to Agra to meet Aurangzeb and was deliberately placed behind lowly ranked men. Smarting under this insult he stormed out of the Diwan-e-Khas only to be placed under house arrest. Shah Jahan was kept in a section of the fort with a view of the Taj Mahal upon his being ousted from power by his son Aurangzeb, till his death in 1666.

In 1983 it was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Along with Taj Mahal it draws lakhs of domestic and foreign visitors every year to marvel at its magnificent structures full of historic significance.

The Gwalior Fort :

The Gwalior Fort  built by Hindu Kings is a fort  built on  a hill near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and is said to exist from 275 AD on wards It has been ruled by  a large number of rulers over such long span of time. The present fort was built in 8th century AD and overlooks the Gwalior city.

The fort encloses an area of nearly 3 square kilometers and consists of many Hindu and Jain temples,monuments and palaces. Its concrete sandstone walls are 11 meters in height and it has two gates, the Hathi Pul main entrance gate and another gate called the Badalgarh Gate.

The fort has been under Khushwahas for nearly a 1000 years (not in its present form) when it passed into the hands of Tomars and then passed to Muslim kings before ending up with the Mughals, Marathas and British. Finally from the British it went to the Scindias. The Mughals used it as a prison and many  royal prisoners were executed in its premises on the orders of Akbar and kings who followed him.

The imposing fort was described by Babur as the pearl among fortresses in India. The present Fort was built in two parts and in two different periods. The first part, the main fort was built by the Tomars in the 8th century. The Gurjari Mahal and Man Mandir Palace were built by Raj Man Singh Tomar  in the 15th century. There is the Jauhar Kund where the harem women burnt themselves in 1232 after the defeat of the Hindu king. Aurangzeb imprisoned and killed his brother Murad in the beautiful Man Mandir Palace. The Gujar Mahal of medieval vintage is now converted into a museum. Inside the fort are three temples, six palaces and many water tanks.

The Man Mandir Palace is the most beautiful  palace and the blue ceramic tiles give it a very sophisticated touch. The Karan Palace, Jehangir Palace and Shah Jahan Mahal are also  excellent structures. The 9th century Teli-ka-mandir is a 100 foot structure built in a mix of Dravidian and north Indian architecture and has a very liberally sculpted exterior. Then there is the Sas-bahu temple built in the 11th century and dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The fort also has a place in history as it has the first ever recorded use of the Indian invention of shunya known as zero.

The grand and imposing fort has seen nearly 2000 years of history and is worth a visit. The best time to visit it is between October and March. It is open all days between 9am and 6pm and takes upto 2 hours to see it nicely. There is also a Sound and Light show.

The Jaisalmer Fort :

It is the only living fort in the world with around 5000 persons staying inside it. They are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the fort. Jaisalmer Fort was built by Raja Jaisal in 1156AD and is among the largest forts in the world. It stands majestically on the Trikuta Hill in the Thar Desert and overlooks the Jaisalmer town in Rajasthan.

It is made of yellow sandstone which gives it a golden hue and is also called sonar quila by the locals. The fort consists of three layer of walls. The overall height of the fort is around 250 feet with inside walls having a height of 30 feet. It has four pols known as Ganesh Pol, Suraj Pol, Hawa Pol and Akshya Pol. It has 99 strongholds and its old wells still supply water to the residents.

The fort was made famous by Satyajit Ray, who inspired by its beauty made a popular film Sonar Kella set around the golden fort.   

Till the British came and developed Mumbai, Jaisalmer played a very important role in business with Arabia, Persia, Africa and Egypt. The kings and the fort were very powerful on this route. However its importance now is as a frontier town on the border with Pakistan.

The fort is on softer foundations in contrast to other forts. The sedimentary rock foundation makes it susceptible to water leakages. Many parts of the fort have crumpled especially parts of the Rani ka Mahal. The fact that there are residents in increasing numbers inside the fort also leads to water seepage and pollution creating damage to the fort walls

The fort simply looks magnificent when lit up in the nights with its golden exterior walls radiating a mesmerising  panorama.

The Mehrangarh Fort :

Imagine a man being buried live to propitiate the gods. That is a what happened to a man called Raja Ram Meghwal whom the royal builder of Mehrangarh Fort buried alive in its foundation to ward off evil spirits on the fort he was going to build. The imposing fort was ordered to be built by Rao Jodha the fifteenth  Rathore king of Jodhpur. The foundation of the fort was laid on May 12,1459 by Jodha atop the Bahurcheeria hill.

Mehrangarh means the sunfort in Sanskrit. Most of the fort as seen today was however built during the reign of Jaswant Singh (1638-78). It is built of burnished red sand stone. The fort cost a sum of rupees nine hundred thousand .

The fort is spread over 5 kilometers and its imposing walls rise to a height of 118 feet and 69 feet in width. It can entered through seven gates. Some of the gates are dedicated to famous victories like the Jai Pol, built by Raja Man Singh in 1806 upon victory over forces of Jaipur and Barmer or the Fateh Pol commemorating victory over the Mughals in 1707, The Loha Pol is another gate which has the hand prints of the ranis who in 1843 became satis by immolating themselves on the funeral pyre of Raja Man Singh.

A unique feature of the fort is that it was never taken in a siege and thus was always under the Rathores whose various kings left their mark with beautiful additions of palaces and temples among other structures. The fort has witnessed great victories and war booties but also scandals and secrets. Jaswant Singh threw his mistress out of the window for he suspected she was his father's mistress or Man Singh had his Prime Minister dashed to the ground 400 feet below or Maharaja Ajit Singh was murdered by his son and so on.

Inside the fort are beautiful palaces named Moti Mahal, Sheesh Mahal, Phool Mahal, Umaid Palace and Takhat Vilas spread in sprawling and huge courtyards. It also has a famous temple the Chamunda Mataji Temple built by Rao Jodha in 1460 and attracts huge number of visitors during Dussehra.  There is a very well stocked and maintained museum in the fort. It exhibits the heritage of of the Rathores in arms, costumes, paintings and decorated rooms. 

The Mehrangarh Fort is a massive fort and one of the largest in the country. It is worthy of a visit and has also an elevator at the entrance for quickly going up to enjoy the fort.

The above are only five of the many forts that exist all over the country. Besides telling about the history of their times they also show how Indians were ingenious in planning and building the variety of forts. They were self contained towns and small cities and afforded protection to both the king and his family but also their kingdoms.

(Pictures from Wikipedia)

The one who built Taj Mahal, today is sleeping in its lap. For the one whom Taj Mahal was built is also sleeping in its lap. Taj Mahal must be proudly happy after looking at unconditional love of these lovers. Their love cannot be defined. Ages have passed but even today glory of their love is preserved in it. World has been watching this glory with wonder. Taj Mahal is proudly considered to be one of the wonders of the world.

It is the graveyard of king Shahjahan and his wife Mumtaj. It is a memorial of purity of love and dedication. Humans always separate themselves in names of caste, creed, sex etc..... To such individuals Taj Mahal teaches that love is the supreme entity and nothing surpasses it. Love is the best creation of God and so is Taj Mahal. Two inseparable hearts are lying in its lap. Taj Mahal has been attacked multiple times and also has been tried to destroy and rob of its beauty, serenity and glory. Its jewelry, ornaments, pearls and precious stones had been taken away. It almost became naked. But they couldn't rob the glory which is hidden in it. Even the harshest attackers and looters couldn't take away the glory of these two hearts lying in it. They couldn't keep their eyes open in front of light lit by these two hearts. It is not a monument of worldly pleasures and richness, it's a building representing richness of love. In its foundation lies lonely king's two drops of tears and tries to console the heart of Taj Mahal every year by watering it every year with rainfall.

Taj Mahal is situated on the banks of river Yamuna. It can never forget the love Agra has given to it. Taj Mahal standing still on banks of river Yamuna always tries to recollect all the memories like a yogi does in his yoga. Yamuna too becomes sad by remembering the old glorious days of almighty Taj Mahal and is drying up. In its sadness it has turned into black color. Taj Mahal loves Yamuna by heart. They are old friends. Yamuna too is fond of Taj Mahal and shows it's love towards this monument.

It is said Taj Mahal is a perfect example of architecture. It's been constructed with white marble. Millions of rupees have been spent on its construction. Thousands of men got employed during its construction and filled their stomach. Mumtaj sleeping on her death bed, taking her last breath had wished this huge memorial to be constructed in her memory. That heavenly lady's wish couldn't be left unheard by Shahjahan. Thus, as per her wish Taj Mahal came into existence. But, this graveyard is not considered as disgraceful. To have a look at it thousands of visitors come here day and night. Foreigners from farther countries by traveling miles together come India to have a look at this almighty Taj Mahal. After having a look at it, they get mesmerized and feels their traveling so far was worth of it. All the visitors ought to bend their head with devotion in front of this memorial. Taj Mahal standing still gets a chance to read the feelings and expressions of its visitors. It smiles after it hears their thoughts about itself. To capture its image on the screen of cinema people come over here. They click its pictures. Painters tries to show never dying glory of Taj Mahal by their imagination with the help of their paints and brushes. Poets in their composition tries to make it ever living.

Even after all the love it gets from its visitors, it's heart cries out of pain. It's heart has become restless looking at uncultured human society. Today no building would allow themselves to become a memorial by letting others sleep in their laps by looking at such uncultured society. King and queen too by looking at the condition of their beloved India have become restless. If the same condition persists, under the pressure of sadness this huge memorial may collapse if not today, might be tomorrow. Taj Mahal wishes that we all should take a lesson from it and get united and work towards progress of our country.

Taj Mahal does not have a competition. Aga Khan Mahal in Agra has proved to be real friend of Taj Mahal in this age. In the lap of Aga Khan Mahal lies Kasturba, the goddess of duty. In the lap of Taj Mahal lies Mumtaj, the goddess of love. Hope mankind will adopt this message of love and duty and will work towards its prosperity.

The worst human massacre  

The holy city of Amritsar saw the worst ever, human massacre that happened in Indian history. The incident that took place in Jaliannwala Bagh on April 13 in 1919 on the Baisakhi day was the proof of intentions of extreme cruelty the British had in store for Indians. Amritsar, the city of Golden temple having the tank of nectar, the most sacred place of Sikhs turned red with blood of innocent, unsuspecting people of the city who were there to protest against atrocities of the British rulers. Jaliannwala Bagh incident brought Amritsar in limelight but seeds of protests against unlawful rule of British had long been sowed. 

No one will forget revolutionaries like Kartar Singh Sarawa and Lala Har Dayal, who were working to for waking people to fight against English rule ever since the first decade of early 20th centaury. All this made a big impact on people of Punjab who were inactive, neutral or did not mind British rule in India. People like Maharaja Dilip Singh son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who was then living out of India courtesy Britain, was not active and that became a big reason for people of Punjab to not to decide properly for their home land. 

However, not all revolutionaries were inactive but almost 1000 of them had returned to Punjab from different parts of the world. And these were active awakening the people in different areas of Punjab. They were running their activities silently but surely and were leaving their impact on people’ mind. Activist like Ras Bihari Bose and V.G. Pingley, the actual leaders of Revolutionary party were making their all out efforts to make this country free. However, British were not ignorant and they provided Punjab government different ordinance to crush such movements ruthlessly. During that period, 20 people were hanged, 58 sent to Kala Pani and almost same number jailed for life. But the movement did not slow down. 

Forced recruitment in British army

By the time the world war-1 began, the world was divided in to two camps. In one camp, countries listed were Germany, Japan, Austria, Hungary and Turkey the other group had countries like France, Britain, America, Russia in their side. British knew that Indian soldiers could prove a deciding factor in such a crucial war therefore, they began recruiting Indians especially Gorkhas and Sikhs, the warriors who were used to keep swords and Khukaris as their traditional weapons. From Punjab itself, they succeeded to recruit more than one hundred thousand soldiers and more than half of the total number of soldiers recruited in the army was from Punjab only. The British government tried to recruit as many soldiers from Punjab as they could and they even adapted to falls means by bribing, paying commission to mediators and insulting Punjabi women to force their men to join army. British needed as many men to join army to face German attacks. They even admitted prisoners from Punjab jails to increase the number of their army personals.   

Effects of bad economical conditions

Indian government provided a very big amount despite the famine in 1918, to Britain during war period that showed its signs on Indian economy. Incidents of loot and unsocial elements taking over in several places including Calicut, Pathankot, Mysore, Karnal, Lailpur etc then plague shook the country in 1919. The country suffered loss of lives and money on many fronts due to war and killer diseases during that period. Indians had high hope of freedom for their country after the war was over but despite the increased powers to Indians in different fields, the British were not ready to allow freedom to Indians, and that made a big difference. 

Increased activities in Amritsar

Amritsar was always a center of political activities, but very few local leaders were associated with congress party . Few eminent leaders associated with congress like lawyer Kanahaiya Lal, Doctor and businessman Satya Pal, Barrister Doctor Saifuddin Kichloo, Barrister Badrul Islam Khan, Pundit Kotumal, Ratan Chand, and Choudhary Bugga Mal who wanted to see Amritsar as leading the freedom movement. They all wanted to see Amritsar emerge on the national scene of politics, therefore decided that the1919 conference to be held at  Amritsar and the venue for the same was fixed at Jaliannwala Bagh. The address of Swami Satya Dev was to be the main feature of that meeting, as suggested by Rattan Chand another prominent activist of the city. 

By 17 February, everything was fine but once the Rowlett Act was passed, the atmosphere began to change. On 29 February, a meeting was called to protest the Rowlett Act in Vandematram Hall presided by Lala Kanahaiya Lal and then another meeting on March 23 deciding to support Gandhi Ji and his non-cooperation movement finalized the matter with a strike call on March 30.  

The Government was alert on the issue

The changed atmosphere of Punjab put government on high alert, they banned Doctor Satya Pal’s public address on 24 March under India Safety Act but people participated on 29 March and decided to support Gandhi Ji and carry on their strike on next day. Almost 30,000 people were present in that meeting on 30 March presided by Dr Kichloo. Government did not find a single point that could provoke it and take any action against the meeting as not a single word was spoken against the government but the focus was on Hindu-Muslim brotherhood. Swami Satya Pal who was to deliver his lecture did not speak a word but others like, swami Anubhavanand, Deenanath, and Pundit Kotumal spoke freely. The meeting finished peacefully without any incident. 

Michael O’Dwyer - governor of Punjab 

Brigadier General Michael Francis O’Dwyer the then governor of Punjab was a strict but shortsighted ruler. He was strict but did not care for long-term results of his actions. Reginald Dyer another Brigadier General worked under O’Dwyer and both of them known to be as ruthless and strict while handling administrative matters without human touch in their decisions. The incident of Jaliaanwala Bagh was the combination of indecision of O’Dwyer and ruthless nature of Dyer that resulted in form of massacre of thousands of innocent people who were participating in a peaceful meeting on the occasion of Baisakhi. There were some stray incidents of violence prior to the big massacre, which caused the inhuman incident. The atmosphere in Amritsar was slowly heating up and British were ready to teach a lesson to retaliating Indians. The martyr's well 

General Dyer had a motto

There were different reasons those prompted Indians to react against British people but such incidents prompted general Dyer to plan a scheme to punish people of Amritsar in a big way. He later admitted in front of a Military council – “If I had a reason to punish people of Amritsar by ordering the army to fire at them, my sole idea was to protect European women, children and men from those who wanted to kill them. I had a firm belief that if did not accept this challenge or will not act in a certain way by acting against those warring Indian groups, I would not be able to save their lives. That only prompted me to give an order to fire on people who gathered in Jaliannwala Bagh to harm the people and interrupt the Government work.”

Role of an Indian named Hansraj 

To complete his ill designs, Dyer needed an Indian who could help him plan in a proper way. To carry out his plans he wanted the help of someone who knew the local mentality as well the people had trust in him as well. He found one such person in Hansraj who was a former ticket collector in railway but was dismissed for his corrupt behavior. Later he joined Union Club of Amritsar but he misused the funds of the club and was thrown out from there also. Later he came in contact with Kichloo Ji and won his confidence. Kichloo Ji recruited him as a regular worker of the movement activities and he worked regularly and actively. He was one of the trusted workers of different movement works including very active protests against Rowlatt act. However, in reality Hansraj was a different person altogether, an opportunist, selfish and someone who had bigger plans for his future. He wanted everything in his life but did not want to work for them but always tried to find easier and illegal ways to fulfill his dreams and to accomplish his dreams he did not mind using his own mother and sister. In fact, he was an informer of the British police who joined the freedom movement to collect information and supply it to British. 

How Dyer managed it

Dyer was ruthless all right but he planned his scheme carefully. He knew that 13 April is big day for Punjabi as Baisakhi is their biggest celebration of the year when they gather in public places in big numbers, and to gather them in a single place, he wanted them to organize a meeting. He also knew that given the atmosphere of Amritsar those day people would do anything in the name of Kichloo Ji and Satyapal. This gave him the idea and he planned in a meeting with local officers where Hansraj was also present to bring all the people in a single place so that he could carryout his plan of teaching them a lesson. The plan was to punish the locals to give the dipping reputation of British government by killing as many people as possible. 

This all was possible for Dyer because he was indirectly in-charge of the affairs including civil affairs despite of the fact that he was only responsible for security. Because he did not consult anyone into this matter therefore, he did not find it necessary to impose martial law to keep the unfavorable activities, which were going on in the city. Instead of taking other safety measurements, he kept all the gates under strict security placing armed forces and army on alert and on the move. In the meantime, he received a message from commissioner of Lahore division that Sikhs from Malwa were planning to attack army posts in Amritsar that made him more cautious toward the security of the city. 

In the meantime, Hansraj was playing his own game by calling a meeting in Hindu Sabha School in the evening of 12 April. Since all the big leaders were under arrest and he was considered an active worker of the party therefore, local people had not the slightest of doubt that he could be playing double game with them. Initially the number of people was limited to 40 or so but the count slowly rose to 120. Hansraj started his lecture with subjects like peace, self-governance and situation of the city etc and later proposed a meeting on Baisakhi day in Jaliannwala Bagh under the leadership of aged leader Lala Kanahaiya Lal Ji and also proposed that wife of Shri Kichloo Ji will read a letter sent by him and Satyapal Ji for the occasion. Incidentally, he did not take any permission from Kanahaiya Lal Ji about this meeting but used his name only. 

They were ready for the kill 

General Dyer succeeded in his planning to fetch the people to Jallianwala Bagh because he wanted to kill them in an open place. He knew that it was not an easy job to fight with local people in lanes and by lanes because that could prove futile and not that useful. He therefore, posted 40 of his soldiers at the main entrance covering the main meeting place. Dyer reached to the venue of meeting lead by a company of soldiers by a car. Another platoon of soldiers following his car and then the special commando trucks and police car were covering them from behind. 

In the meanwhile, Hansraj was doing his job according to plan with the help of intelligence agency, police and government machinery. Everyone was active playing his part but Hansraj was over active. He arranged cleaning work, set the stage, arranged for drinking water etc and to help him in his job two persons were specially deployed by Dyer to run the operation successfully. 

At last, the people started to gather for the meeting and being the Baisakhi day the people who had come to the city, wanted to attend the meeting. In the meantime, people who had arrived to participate in a cattle fare also took part in the meeting since the government has disallowed the fare to take place. Incidentally, Jallianwala Bagh, located a few hundred meters away from Golden temple is not the same today as it used to be those days but surrounded by houses from three sides and fourth side covered by 5’ high boundary wall was a barren piece of ground.

The stage was set

Every move was going ahead according to the plan. The stage was all set, people have started to reach to the Jallianwala Bagh. General Dyer was getting the information from all sources. His intelligence team and informers were keeping him posted about every detail whatever was happening in and around Jallianwala Bagh. People did not know what was in store for them as they came in big numbers. Most of them came from nearby villages to Golden temple and after the ritual was over, they came to attend the meeting expecting to listen to their leaders. The scheduled time for the meeting was 4 o’clock in the evening but by 3 o’clock there was a large gathering and people were waiting for the commencement of the meeting. Some of them were lying on the ground, some were playing cards and some others even sleeping. 

To top it all, some children were playing in the Bagh as daily routine. Some people had nothing to do with meeting but they were there in the Bagh with their family consisting of small kids in their laps. Some children were doing community service as usual, by offering water to people present there. Meanwhile the informers were keeping a close watch on developments there and informing General Dyer about everything. The meeting began at 3 and by 5.20, eight of the speakers including Abdul Aziz, Dr. Gurbaksh Singh and Rai Ram Singh had finished their speeches. A local poet Braj Gopinath ‘Bekal’ also recited his poem targeting the British government and giving message to the public to face the British rulers’ atrocities fearlessly. The people present in the meeting passed two resolutions, one demanding the return of Rowlatt Act and the second condemning the firing that took place on April 10 with offering their prayers to people who died in that firing. 

To mention a fact here, around four o’clock an airplane came close to meeting place waiving a flag, and seeing the plane flying so low some people wanted to flee. But Hansraj was ever alert with his assurance to public to calm down and asking them constantly to sit down as according to him it was only a routine watch by the government agencies. Actually, Hansraj did not want people to go out of the Bagh, as it would have failed Dyer’s scheme. Hansraj Kept assuring every leaving people to sit down as there was nothing to be afraid of. He even said that British would never dare to attack innocent people attending a nonviolent meeting.  

The meeting was going on and General Dyer was moving towards it to fulfill his plan. The city was well guarded for the purpose with armed forces and apart from that, he had with him 25 Gorkha- riflemen and 40 Gorkhas with Khukhari and 25 other soldiers with rifles and specially designed trucks to control riots. He left for the meeting venue with his guards with information to his officers but he did not take with him any other senior officers. By 4.20 or so, General Dyer was into the ground but he had to leave his armored trucks out on the road because the approach road was not broad enough to adjust them. But, he was confident that he would be able to handle the crowd with available force and ammunition. 

By 5.15 or so Dyer and his subordinates had reached to the meeting spot. Colonel Morgan, Brigs and few others came along with him up to the gate. No civilian officer was accompanying him when he entered the gate on foot, perhaps this was part of the scheme of General Dyer, as he did not want to involve any civilian in his scheme. General Dyer was astonished to see the gathering at the meeting venue because he had  not expected that such a big public presence would be possible even when there were no big leaders present. By the time Dyer reached there it was Durgadas addressing the public. Dyer asked his junior colleague Brigs about the approximate number of people present there and when he said 5000, he did not believe him. Another of his officers Morgan said something around twenty-five thousand people, which was closer to the truth. When they reached near the meeting venue people realized their presence and they began to shout – AA Gaye – meaning-  they have arrived. But Hansraj still lied to them to sit, as the government had no intention to harm them. Meanwhile he signaled to Dyer to begin his operation and moved out of the meeting place pretending to talk to the forces. The narrow passage  

Operation Jallianwala Bagh had begun

Dyer was standing on a comparatively higher place about 150 meters away from the main stage under a Peepal tree from where he could watch the large gathering. Durgadas was still delivering his lecture while some others were requesting people to sit but Dyer’s eyes were burning with revenge. As a matter of rule, he should have warned people to leave before giving a shoot-out order but he did not keep it in his mind. No one had any means to retaliate or fight back as no one had any arms except only Sikhs had their Kripans. Even if the people wanted to leave expecting trouble were not allowed to leave the ground by the forces deployed there and there was no other exit.

Once the army personals started to load their guns, the people present there forgot to breathe the next one but they still had a belief that the army would not fire at them directly but in the air. Even when the first round of fire hit them, they did not believe that they were the direct target but when they saw people lying on the ground in to a pool of blood, then only the realized that something terrible was taking place there. It was not aimless firing but they were shooting to kill. Not a single fire missed but every fire shot killed or injured someone. People wanted to flee away but the only way to go out was blocked by the force. Most probably, even general Dyer did not this fact that there was no other way to get away from the scene. People divided in to two groups to save themselves but Dyer ordered to fire on both the groups. The picture after the massacre took place

Most people standing near the forces were killed instantly and the diseased included children and women. Since there was no way out as the garden was surrounded by houses from three sides and fourth side had a boundary wall with small 4-5 small gates and these too were blocked by public, dead and alive. Some people fell down and were crushed instantly under the feet of fleeing public. Some others died by suffocation because they were buried under the dead bodies. Those who tried to climb the walls to run away were shot down by army to fell down on either side of the wall. Some who tried to take shelter behind the cemetery built inside the garden but army was on higher place so they could locate and still shoot them down. 

After a while, Dyer ordered his men to stop for a moment and inspected the ground that was full of dead and injured bodies. Once the firing stopped, the people thought that it has stopped forever and they tried to escape the scene but Dyer was still not satisfied, so he again ordered to shoot at them. People were lying down on the ground, some of them still alive were crying in pain but Dyer did not let it go at that, as he still wanted to keep the shooting on. Dyer’s assistant Captain Brigs who was standing near him was shaken by looking at the number of causalities and still going on nonstop. He tried to stop Dyer from further shooting but Dyer was in no mood to listen to anyone. He did not react to anybody’s request but kept signaling his men to continue with the firing. 

Thousands of blood stained bodies were lying down there on the ground and out of these hundreds were already dead. Some others who tried to escape died elsewhere. In a lane nearby more than 50 dead bodies of people who tried to escape after they were shot at, but they ran and fell dead after running a few steps. There were more dead bodies lying in the lane adjacent to Sultan Singh gate, the entire Jallianwala ground was looking like a big battlefield where nothing else but blood-stained bodies were visible. Dyer again ordered to fire despite the fact that no one was standing on his own two feet but once they started firing again, the injured whoever could stand and walk tried to run away. Few women jumped into the nearby well alone or with children if they had young kids in their lap. 

Dyer spared no one, even people standing on the rooftops of nearby houses were aimed at and injured or killed. They fired 1650 rounds within a short period of 10 initial minutes and they definitely fired to kill. Those who could somehow run off the ground saving their life had lost the direction but they ran like mad. They did not care for direction or their own condition but kept running. Once there was no one to shoot at, the army started to go back taking the same rout they came by. But by the time they went back the entire city was converted into a big cemetery. People who had lost their relatives came hours after the incident took place. They were still afraid of being shot by the army personals. Since the order to shoot at site was in place if someone was found wandering after 8 in the night so people left the area leaving the dead bodies behind. No body wanted to take the risk  Most probably they were right, as Dyer made rounds to check if anybody found breaking the law. He went to many places with small number of armed guards to confirm that but not a single person was on the roads except a few stray animals. The entire city was quiet and looked barren as if nothing existed there. 

Conclusion

Amritsar came to limelight after the massacre that saw thousands dead and injured. The actual number of people who died in this incident is a disputed topic but people on the scene claim that more than thousand people were killed on the spot and more than fifteen hundred were injured seriously. Many women and children jumped into the well and many lost their lives crushed trying to escape during the incident. General Dyer, the man responsible for this massacre later had to appear before an inquiry commission that started on 29 October that had 46 sittings in different places. The Hunter Committee did not reach to a decision acceptable to British officers and Indian politicians due to many differences but General Dyer did not live for a long time after the incident but died in 1927 due to brain hemorrhage.  

In fact, this incident was considered as one of the worst in the modern history of British Empire. Some bloodshed is expected in case army plays its role in controlling the civilians but the incident in Jallianwala Bagh was entirely different from all such incidents. Killing civilians without warning was loathsome, ghastly and unbelievable. Dyer overlooked the minimum set standards of army action against enemy, especially the civilians.

 Photo source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jallianwala_Bagh_massacre