Pakistani soil for dream Kashi temple

Varanasi, Jan 5 (UNI) In a novel cultural linkage between India and Pakistan, soil from across the border is likely to provide the pristine genesis to the first of its kind temple in the ancient city, dedicated to father of Sanskrit grammar Maharishi Panini.

''The Maharishi Panini Smarak temple, the first of its kind devoted to Maharishi Panini anywhere, will come up in four years time at the sprawling campus of Panini Kanya Mahavidyalai engaged in imparting Sanskrit and Vedic education to girls for the last three decades,'' Panini Smarak Mandir Nirman Samiti coordinator Nandan Satyam told UNI here today.

''The grammerian par excellence was born in Lahur village in Attock in Pakistan's Punjab provence. We propose to send a delegation across the border to bring soil from the native village of Maharishi Panini, where a stupa still exists in his memory. The pristine soil from Panini's land will be used in laying the foundation of the grand temple to be built at a cost of Rs five crore,'' Dr Satyam added.

''We are in touch with the External Affairs ministry and Islamabad and clearance for sending the delegation for the sacred objective is likely before the Basant Panchami day (January 23 next) when the foundation of the dream temple cum model centre for Sanskrit learning and research will be laid,'' he maintained.

''The Pakistan government has built the stupa in Panini's memory at his village besides releasing a commemorative postal stamp in his memory two years ago, which makes us believe that clearance for our visit will not be difficult,'' Dr Satyam said.

''If at all the clearance is not given by the two governments in time, the foundation of the temple will be laid with soil of Kashi only, but whenever in future we get to go to the village, the soil from there will be brought to be utilised in the construction of a stupa in the Sanskrit genius's memory inside the temple dedicated to him,'' he added.

To be built solely out of white marble, the temple will host inscriptions of the 4,000 'sutras' of from Panini's Ashtadhyayi, which has long served the basis of Sanskrit grammar.

''Through the Ashthadyayi Grammar, a Sanskrit student can acquire knowledge of the Vedas the Upanishads, Bhagvad Gta, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata and other sacred Sanskrit scriptures. The temple with the 4,000 sutras engraved on its walls will provide the ultimate learning experience to girl students studying at the Mahavidyalay to become Sanskrit Acharyas and Purohits,'' one of the eight teachers at the institution Acharya Surya Devi Chaturveda said.

The temple will also comprise a grand 'yajna sthali' which will play a seminal role in teaching the basics of 'Vedic Karmakanda' to girl students aspiring to become 'Mahila Purohits,' Ms Chaturveda added.

Besides, the temple of Sanskrit learning will also have hostels for students and computer learning set up where efforts will be made to develop Sanskrit into a computer programming language. A centre of advanced Sanskrit research will also be part of the temple, she added.

The temple will be constructed by a team of artisans led by Tamil Nadu based sculptor R Balgangadharan, who claims to have built at least 300 temple in southern India based on the ancient Chola, Pallava and Pandya styles. ''The Panini Smarak temple will be a melange of world famous temples of south including Brihdeshwara temple of Tanjavur, Shiva temple of Rameshwaram and another famous temple of Srirangapatnam,'' he claimed.

UNI