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Museum of rare artefacts planned

By Our Staff Correspondent

DEHRA DUN, JAN. 27. Tourists and pilgrims visiting the ancient Lakhamandal temple, 70 km beyond Mussoorie, may be able to see the idols and artefacts dating back to the 12th Century if the State Government provides land to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to establish a museum there.

These artefacts, mostly figures carved on stone, were locked inside a building about a decade ago after thieves began stealing these pieces of archaeological significance scattered around the temple.

The ASI now proposes to establish a museum complete with facilities for visitors. "We will go ahead with the plan the moment we get the land," a senior official said.

Nestled in majestic Himalayan environs, Lakhamandal, or Lakshmandal as it used to be known, is presumed to be the spot where the palace made of resinous timber was built by the Kauravas who conspired to kill the Pandavas.

A tunnel leading from a ruined fortress to the riverbed and mentioned in Walton's Gazetteer of the Doon, is supposed to be the one, which the Pandavas took to escape from the palace on fire.

Names of nine rulers are inscribed on the Lakhamandal rock. Eleven generations of the Seoverman dynasty ruled over this region.

Divakarverman, the eleventh ruler, was succeeded by his younger brother Bhaskerverman who married a commoner called Jayavali. Their daughter Ishwara married Chandragupt, the prince of Jallandhar. Widowed at an early age, Ishwara returned to her parent's house at Lakhamandal where she built a Shiva temple in memory of her husband. The inscriptions that the temple would stand intact as long as the earth, mountains, moon, sun and stars exist can be seen on the temple.

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