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Morvi's history lies in ruins

This was a small and beautiful town rich in history.

Until disaster struck on the morning of January 26, people looked upon Morvi's splendid architecture, a legacy of the royal family, with pride.

Much of it is now in ruins. The town has lost its historical moorings, besides at least 176 human lives.

Almost 10 per cent of Morvi's buildings have been razed. The famous Darbargarh Palace, Mani Mandir and Green Chowk have suffered substantial damage.

Adding to the human suffering, the devastation caused to these historical monuments has hurt the people who were sentimentally attached to them.

According to Tehsildar H M Jadeja, 60 to 70 per cent of the buildings in the rural areas surrounding Morvi have been damaged badly. Food packets, blankets and medicines have been coming in, but the supply is still far short of demand, he told the United News of India.

The unofficial toll varies from 400 to 500 and about 2,000 injured. Government offices began functioning on Monday in the open as people remained too scared to occupy buildings. Only the municipality building was filled, turned into a control room for the relief operations.

Much of the Darbargarh Palace, seat of Morvi's last ruler Maharaja Thakore Mahendrasinhji Ladhiraji Sahib Bahadur, was destroyed. The king died in 1957 and the royal family now lives in Bombay.

Built with gold-coloured stones, the palace's intricately carved pillars have come down and so also the exquisite domes and arches.

Rows of houses near the palace have collapsed. Locals say 25 bodies were extricated from one building right across the palace. Bulldozers and dumpers were busy clearing the debris as a sleepy town engaged directly or indirectly in the clock industry or making glazed tiles became rubble.

Mani Mandir, a marvellous stone complex built in 1935 as a mark of worship and love, with delicate carvings and a well-planned garden, has been extensively damaged. Morvi also has the samadhi (mausoleum) of Nanasaheb, last Peshwa of the Marathas and a leader of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.

There has been some damage to the Nehru Gate too, which when it was built was called Nagar Darwaja. It was an exotic and architecturally majestic gate with a clock on it depicting elegance and led to the well-planned historic market of Morvi.

UNI

The Complete Coverage

OTHER SITES WITH INFORMATION
ON THE GUJARAT EARTHQUAKE:
panjokutch.com
kutchinfo.com
ahmedabad.com
maniben.com

EXTERNAL LINKS
Comprehensive list of earthquake sites
The RD Killer Quake of Jan 26, 2001: Technical details
All about earthquakes in India and their impact
India Meteorological Department's earthquake reports
Disaster relief set-up in India
Major earthquakes across the world in recent times
A post-quake volunteer's unusual tryst with the departed
Earthquake News: Web site offering comprehensive news, information and features
Earthquake site map
USGS: Earthquake Hazards Program

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