Challenges
of the district : Our research with local communities
Following are the social and developmental challenges
of the district:
Inadequate electricity supply
Travelling has become tedious and inconvenient with bad transportation
facilities.
Lots of industries have shifted to other parts of the state due
to insufficient power supply and inconvenient transportation facilities.
This has lead to rise in unemployment and poverty in the district.
Government funds allocated for the deprived are not properly utilized.
Brief About Bareilly District
The district of Bareilly lying between Lat.28
degree 1' and Long. 78 degree 58'k and 79 degree 47'E was once
the part of ancient Panchala, which was bound by the river Gomati
in the east, Yamuna in the west, Chambal in the south and on the
north it approaches the Himalayan foot hills. During the later
Vedic period Panchala acquired considerable significance - in
fact it became the matrix of Later Vedic Civilization. According
to the Shatapatha Brahamana (XIII 5.4.7-8)the Brahmins who had
settled in different parts of Panchala and were being patronised
by its Kings were to be counted not by hundreds but by many thousands.
At another place' the same text records, "speech sounds higher
among the Kuru-Panchalas" - the speech denoting the rectification
of Vedic texts. The scholars of Panchala were famous throughout
India. It was from Panchala region that the sage Yajnavalkya was
invited in the kingdom of Mithila to enlighten king Janaka on
various philosophical problems. In the development of Upanisadic
philosophy Prayahana Jaivali, Pratardana, Gargayayana and Uddalaka
of Panchala had made significant contributions. In fact it was
in this region that during the later Vedic period the Indian life
and thought had assumed the form which had followed ever since.
There is a story in the Kathakasmhita which reports a debate between
Vaka Dalbbhya from Panchala and Dhratarastra Vaichitravirya from
Kuru. This contest between the two indicates that whereas the
Panchalas had soon realised the futility of sacrifices and were
engaged in philosophical discussions, their neighbour Kurus were
continuing their faith in rituals and sacrifices. The love for
reason in the region of Panchala did not confine to philosophy
only. They were ploneers in the domain of Natural Science also.
Uddalaka Aruni of Panchala who could not
presumably be later than the 8th or 7th B.C. took the step from
the magicomythological view of the scriptures to a naturalistic
understanding of nature. He postulated the original cause of the
universe the primeval being (Sat), ignoring thereby the word Brahman
(identified with spirit) - which was greatly in vogue in the general
intellectual climate to which he belonged. He proceeded to sketch
a view of the evolution or development of everything in nature
ultimately from the primeval being or Sat with a dynamism or motion
inherent in it. What strikes us as most remarkable about his procedure
is that practically at every step of this sketch, he drew upon
empirical data or facts of direct observation, already censored
by the priest class.
From archaeological point of view the district
of Bareilly is very rich. The extensive remains of Ahichhatra,
the Capital town of Northern Panchala have been discovered near
Ramnagar Village of Aonla Tehsil in the district. It was during
the first excavations at Ahichhatra (1940-44) that the painted
grey ware, associated with the advent of the Aryans in Ganga Yamuna
Valley, was recognised for the first time in the earliest levels
of the site. Nearly five thousand coins belonging to periods earlier
than that of Guptas have been yielded from Ahichhatra. It has
also been one of the richest sites in India from the point of
view of the total yield of terrocotas. Some of the masterpieces
of Indian terrocotta art are from Ahichhatra. In fact the classification
made of the terracotta human figurines from Ahichhatra on grounds
of style and to some extent stratigraphy became a model for determining
the stratigraphy of subsequent excavations at other sites in the
Ganga Valley. On the basis of the existing material, the archaeology
of the region helps us to get an idea of the cultural sequence
from the beginning of the 2nd millenium BC upto 11th C.A.D. Some
ancient mounds in the district have also been discovered by the
Deptt. of Ancient History and culture, Rohilkhand University,
at Tihar-Khera (Fatehganj West), Pachaumi, Rahtuia, Kadarganj
and Sainthal.
In the 6th Cent. BC, the Panchala was among
one of the sixteen mehajanapadas of India. The experiment in non-monarchical
form of Government in Panchala was soon engulfed in the growing
Magadhen imperialism - first under the Nandas and then under the
Mauryas.
The fall of the Mauryan empire saw the
emergence of numerous small and independent states in the whole
Ganga Valley. It saw a remarkable revival in the fortunes of Panchala
which once again came to occupy a very significant position in
the history of north India. Panchala emerges at this time as one
of the strongest powers in India. About 25 kings who have ruled
during this period have left behind thousands of coins. During
the period between the fall of the Mauryas and the rise of the
Guptas, the Panchalas had two phases of power - first the pre
Kushana phase i.e. from C-150 BC to AD 125 and secondly a short
period of fifty years after the fall of the Kushanas, which ended
in CAD 350 when Panchala was assimilated in the Gupta empire by
Samudragupta.
Under the Guptas Ahichhatra was one of the
provinces into which the Gupta empire was divided. The material
evidence during the Gupta period at Ahichhatra does not give the
impression that it was a large and prosperous centre like the
preceding phase. The monuments under the Guptas are mainly religious
indicating that Ahichhatra had then become mainly a religious
centre.
The amalgamation of several religious and
popular beliefs may be observed through out the history of Panchala
in ancient India. In addition to being associated with the activities
of pravahana Jaivali, Gargayayana, Uddalaka etc. responsible for
giving a distinctive touch to the later vedic thought, the region
was also a prominent centre of popular beliefs such as the cult
of Nagas, Yaksas and Vetalas. The Jain tirthamkara Parshvanath
is said to have attained Kaivalya at Ahichhatra. The city was
also influenced by Buddha and his followers. The remains of Buddhist
monastries at Ahichhatra are quite extensive. The echoes of the
Bhagavates and the Saivas at Ahichhatrra can still be seen in
the towering monuments of a massive temples, which is the most
imposing structure of the site.
After the fall of the Guptas in the latter
half of the 6th century the district of Bareilly came under the
domination of the Maukharis. Under the emperor Harsha ( 606-47
AD ) the district was the part of the Ahichhatra Bhukti. During
Harsha's reign the chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang also visited Ahichhatra
about 635 AD.
Situated between the latitudes of 28 degree 10
minutes & 28 degree 54 minutes and longitudes of 78 degree
58 minutes & 79 degree 47 minutes, Bareilly, one time kingdom
of the Rohila Emperors, has always made its presence felt since
ancient time.
It has not only a glorious past but a thrilling
present and promising future also. Based on the bank of river
the Ramganga once this city was the mainstay of the freedom struggle.
During the great revolt of 1857, when rest of the country was
surmounted by Britishers Bareilly remained free from the clutches
of an English forces for almost one year under the leadership
of Khan Bahadur Khan. Since then people of Bareilly actively participated
in every movement.
After Independence many economic as well as cultural
activities started taking shape in 1961, Camphor & Allied
Products Ltd. Company established its manufacturing unit in Bareilly.
Now it is one of the largest Camphor making units of the world.
IFFCO has also its urea making plant and marketing office here
in Aonla Tehsil. Apart from these two large scale industries Bareilly
is also a leading manufacturer of handicrafts items mainly based
on bamboos & woods.
There are some other items viz. Cane furniture,
Zari Zardozi, Surma, Patang Manjha on which Bareilly boost. Bareilly
has also been the centre of cultural & educational activities
in the province. From Pt. Radhey Shyam Kathawachak to Wasim Bareilvi
this city has galaxy of literary. The Rohilkhand University, hub
of educational activities of tarai region, attracts thousands
of students
