Ramgarh, March 24: Jharkhand’s lone Oriental link is fighting a losing battle against time. The Chinese cemetery, located nearly 4 km from Ramgarh, on the Bhurkunda-Patratu route is the only one of its kind in Jharkhand. It was built in December 1944 by Cen Cheng Tung Kuo in memory of war heroes, who lost their lives in the World War II. The cemetery is spread over nearly 7.25 acre of land and is covered with forests.

There are 666 graves of Chinese soldiers in the cemetery. Soldiers of the Chinese Expeditionary forces were executed in Burma while fighting the Axis powers (Japan, Italy and Germany). They fought alongside the Allies (China, Britain and Russia) of Indo-Burma during the World War II in 1944.

The graveyard is surrounded by a boundary wall and has one entry point. In the middle of the cemetery is a stupa of about 35-ft, where the Chinese pray. A brief history of the force has been inscribed in English on the marble plaque. It says the Chinese Expeditionary forces of Ramgarh fought in Burma under the command of General Lo Cho Ying. At that time, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese army was General Ho Ying Chin. A saying of then Chinese president Chiang Kai Shek, “departed martyrs have immortal souls” is also embossed on the plaque. On both sides of the stupa there are two pagoda-shaped huts.

A Chinese-style Buddhist temple is also located on the southern side of the stupa. The first floor of the temple houses an idol of Lord Buddha, carved out in black stone, from Gaya, Bihar. Sources said earlier, a gilded idol brought from Hong Kong was set up there but it was later stolen. Chinese flags and Indian Tricolours are also found on the walls. Out of the 666 graves, 37 are of high-ranking army officials. There are epitaphs on all these graves. The commander’s tomb is a big one and has two stone seats on either side of it. Trimmed hedges and decorated pavements contribute to the beauty of the place.

The cemetery was renovated in 1983 and the station commander of Ramgarh Cantonment, Brigadier S.C. Puri opened the gates for the people. The occasion was marked by a ceremony in which nearly 500 Chinese from different parts of the country participated. After his death in 1984, Puri’s last remains were also buried here.