Survival under threat: Jain temples on the Parasnath hills

Hazaribagh, Aug. 4: Illegal stone chip mining and rampant felling of trees are posing serious threat to the famous Parasnath Hills, the sacred Jain pilgrimage destination, around 30km from Giridih district headquarters.

According members of various temple committees here, as many as 12 stone chip units operating across the foothills trigger dynamite blasts throughout the day, seriously damaging the 4,431ft mountain and its natural balance.

The Parasnath Hills hold special significance for the Jains as 20 out of the 24 Tirthankars (religious saints who they worship) attained Nirvana or Moksha on the hills. There is a shrine in the name of each of the Tirthankars on the hills.

Sources said the side facing Topchanchi, Dhanbad, was the worst affected. Every day, more than a hundred small and big trucks loaded with stone chips head towards Giridih town and other districts, like Dhanbad, Bokaro and Hazaribagh.

Anjani Sinha, a member of the Jain Shwetambar Society, said though the stone crushing units were not exactly in the vicinity of the temples and tourist lodges, the blasts were affecting the holy hills.

While dynamite blasts are taking a toll on the wildlife in the Parasnath sanctuary spread over 49.3 sqkm across the foothills, timber mafia, too, wreaking havoc on the green park.

The huge reserves of sheesham, sal, sangwan draw many timber smugglers, who fell trees at will, while the forest department maintains a “mysterious silence”.

According to geologists and environmentalists, if the damage to the greenery and misuse of the mountain continue unabated, the hills may face massive landslides and soil erosion in the near future.

The life span of the mountain is shrinking fast owing to unabated felling of trees and mining of stone chips, they pointed out.

Some experts in Giridih also pointed out that the height of the mountain had already decreased by 4feet and uncontrolled dynamite blasts were one of the main reasons.

Forest ranger (Parasnath) N.K. Patel admitted that stone mining and tree felling were rampant here but cited manpower crunch as the major problem in taking action against these illegal activities.

Divisional forest officer (wildlife) R.N. Mishra said he wasn’t aware of illegal mining in the area. However, he promised to take action against those involved in felling of trees.