Indian history and symbols in vicinity of Urbania

Exploring nearby places that connect us to the idea of India

A journey to places in close vicinity of Urbania takes us through history dating back more than one hundred fifty years. Read on for details of events that took place at Thane and publicly displayed national emblem and national flag of India.

Replica of India’s national emblem: India adopted the Lion Capital of Ashoka as its national symbol on 26 January 1950. The original Lion Capita now preserved at a museum in Sarnath, near Varanasi is from 250 BCE.  

At Thane, we again have a replica of the Lion Capital at the junction of six roads near the Central Maidan. At this small circle, a model of the Lion Capital there now replaces the original damaged one, removed in 1983. The spruced-up surroundings commemorate the Indian freedom struggle and create patriotic fervor.

Thane’s contribution to the Indian freedom struggle was commemorated by replica of a Lion Capital in 1953. A truck collided with the model in 1983, resulting in the destruction and removal of the reproduction.  

One of the MLAs of Thane, Sanjay Kelkar, pursued the re-installation of an Ashoka Pillar at the same spot as earlier. Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and Sanjay Kelkar joined hands to install a four-foot-tall replica of the Lion Capital in 2019.  

Close to the Ashoka Pillar is a sculpture showing an Indian freedom fighter holding the Indian flag and leading two children. In between Balwant Rai Mehta Marg and Old Pune Road is a salutation to the Indian Constitution. This installation has two peacocks, representing the national bird of India.

This video has details of the Indian emblem, the Lion Capital of Ashoka: https://tinyurl.com/vtylqc6

As the Ashoka pillar replica is close to the court at Thane, one can also see a giant gavel (wooden hammer used in court), signifying the Thane District and Session court that is nearby. Next, read about the next junction, which has a statue of one of India’s prominent freedom fighters.

Statue of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar at court Naka: The junction in front of the court has a memorial dedicated to one of the chief contributors to the making of the Constitution of India, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar. Dr. Ambedkar was a jurist, economist, politician, and social reformer. He was independent India’s first Minister of Law and Justice. Statue of Dr. Ambedkar with the backdrop shaped like the outline of a stupa is at this junction. 

A circle in memory of a revolutionary freedom fighter: Not too many people in Thane know that the popular place Jambli Naka is named Rango Bapuji Gupte Chowk in memory of the freedom fighter who went missing in 1857. Rango Bapuji Gupte was an Indian diplomat, freedom fighter and revolutionary.  

He spent fourteen years in England defending the Maratha Empire and whose ruler had sent Bapuji Gupte to that country as its representative. Back in India, Bapuji Gupte collaborated with Nanasaheb Peshwe and Tatya Tope to build an armed organization in Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Belgaum.  

In 1857, visiting a relative who lived near Jambli Naka, Bapuji Gupte escaped disguising himself as an old woman when police came to apprehend him. Nobody knows his whereabouts after his escape. A pillar with friezes depicts his life at Rango Bapuji Gupte Chowk. 

Hub of Thane’s cultural shows: On one shore of the Masunda Lake or Talaopali is Thane’s center for art and culture, the Gadkari Rangayatan. The Thane Municipal Corporation dedicate this auditorium in 1979 to the memory of Ram Ganesh Gadkari. 

Gadkari Rangayatan can house more than a thousand audience at a time and has four green rooms, a rehearsal hall. 

The auditorium hosts about one thousand plays through the year has seen the enactment of more than thirty thousand plays to date and is very popular both among artists and viewers.

On the external wall of Gadkari Rangayatan are the faces of playwright Annasaheb Kirloskar, singer and actor Balagandharva and poet, playwright, and humourist Ram Ganesh Gadkari. These three famous artists can be considered the doyen of Marathi plays.

Gadkari Ranayatan has a second claim to fame, its canteen called Gadkari Katta, which is among Thane’s famous restaurants. This restaurant that has both indoor and outdoor seating (facing the Masunda Lake) also has space for events at their eatery. 

Here is a link to a short video on Gadkari Rangayatan, narrated in Marathi. https://tinyurl.com/su44vm7

A towering flag post bearing a giant Indian flag: The Golden Dye Junction at Majiwade with chaotic traffic through the day has an oasis at one corner, opposite the police chowky. 

The circle housing the flag is a small patch that has been landscaped and houses a tall mast that bears the Indian tricolor or Tiranga. 

The gigantic flag measures 30 ft. X 20 ft. and is quite a sight swaying in the wind 100 feet above the ground. Thane Municipal Corporation and DK Flag Foundation worked together to hoist the flag on 25 May 2017. One can get a better look at the flag while driving on the flyover above Majiwade Junction. 

Here is a link to the video made at the installation of the flag three years ago: https://tinyurl.com/w4d6ahc

Like you heard in the video, road users would never pay attention while using the Majiwade junction. Now, with the flag installed, vehicle users slow down to click pictures of the flag fluttering in the sky. The flag has a selfie-point too to cater to the modern generation of selfie-seekers.

Suggested itinerary: Taking an auto-rickshaw may be better to see all four places described above. 

Start with the Lion Capital of Ashoka, which is closest to Urbania. 

After spending about fifteen minutes there, you can walk about a hundred meters to Court Naka, which has the statue of Dr. Ambedkar.  

From Court Naka, head to Rango Bapuji Gupte Chowk, which is the most crowded of four places listed here. The Rango Bapuji Gupte Chowk has a memorial pillar with the four sides of pedestal depicting different scenes.

The Gadkari Rangayatan is about 200 m. from Rago Bapuji Gupte Chowk. While there, you can stop by at Gadkari Katta inside the Ragayatan for snacks.  

Finally, take an auto From Gadkari Rangayatan to Majiwade. You can finish your journey at the 60 square foot Indian tricolor on a 100 ft. long mast. 

Do all of this after the lockdown.