PLACES

AKOLA

Situation: Akola town, the headquarters of the district bearing the same name, stands in latitude 20" 43' North and longitude 77" 04' East at an elevation of 925 feet above sea level Akola is the railway junction on the broad gauge railway line running from Bombay to Nagpur and the metre gauge line running Horn Khandva to Hingoli. It has, as per the Census of 1971, a total population of 1,68.438 souls.

History: The following anecdote gives us an idea as to how the town and consequently the district came to he known as Akola.

Long ago the place where is situated the present town of Akola was a thick forest. In the midst of the forest was a temple of Shiva. At some distance from the temple there lived a person named Akolasinh in the village of Katheri. His wife being a devout worshipper of Shiva used to visit the temple daily. Having doubts regarding the fidelity of his wife one day Akolasinh followed his wife with sword in his hand. When past near the temple, the wife of Akolasinh saw Akolasinh with a sword in his hand and she immediately came to know the suspicion that had engulfed the mind of her husband. She realised the danger that overhang her and she prayed to the God to give her an eternal place of refuge. The Shivalinga, spontaneously opened into two parts and she disappeared within it. The frantic efforts by Akolasinh to search his wife proved futile and what he could only lay his hands upon was a thread of the sari used by his wife which for years protruded from the head of the image. The town, a small village then, is said to have been established by Akolasinh. It may be stated that a somewhat similar story is narrated about a shivalinga in Nagardhan near Ramtek in the Nagpur district.

No mention of Akola is available in historical records till 1658 when Aurangzeb ascended the throne of Delhi. The town of Akola was conferred upon Asadkhan when he became the Prime Minister. (Vazir-e-Azam). Asad Khan constructed a small fort here which came to be known as Asadgadh. The fort is said to have been constructed in 1697 A. D. during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir when Navab Asadkhan was the minister jagirdar. At that time Khvaja Abdul Latif was the Governor of the province. When the town was bestowed upon Asadkhan it was a small village while Balapur was a rich town being the centre of political activities then and Akola was known al that time as Akola Balapur.

As was the case with Berar in general, Akola was also under the dual governance of the Nizam and the Marathas. Many a time Akola was the place of frequent Pendhari depredations. Suja-at Khan the officer at Akola appointed by the Navab of Ellichpur refused to give the Chauth to the Marathas. He was defeated and slain by Raghuji Bhosle when he was pursuing Kanhoji Bhosle his uncle, to arrest him on the orders of Chhairapati Shahu. In 1759, Nizam Ali came down upon the city by way of Bashim and plundered the town. On receiving the news he was attacked and defeated by Janoji Bhosle who pursued him upto Burhanpur. On the death of Janoji Bhosle in 1772 the battle for the throne was fought at Kumbhari near Akola between his brothers Sabaji and Mudhoji in which action Sabaji was killed. In 1790, Gaji Khan, the Pendhari, was completely defeated by the forces of the Bhosles after being besieged in the fort. General Wellesley encamped at this place for a day in 1803. In 1842 or 1843 a great fight between Muhammedans and Rajputs seemed imminent at Akola. As per the old Akola District Gazetteer published in 1910, the cause of quarrel was that Rajputs began to build a stone house on a platform near the east end of the bridge known at that time as Rajputonki gadhi; the khatib had given them the platform but said they had no right to do this. The Rajputs killed a Muhammedan Momin, turban maker, on the road to Barsi Takli and then large forces of Muhammedans and Rajputs gathered from all parts of Berar. Troops belonging to the Contingent Force were brought from Ellichpur, and Khan Bahadur Muassan Sahib, Maulvi of Balapur, used his influence with the Muhammedans, and in the end the danger of a general conflagration was averted. Muhammedans used to get a great deal of semi-military employment; thus until 1858 there was a guard of about 15 men at every gate. General Doveton was here for some months before he took Nagpur in 1817. A great flood occurred in about 1833 and another, not quite large, in about 1885.

The method for [he collection of the revenues of Berar was that either it was given on contract basis or was given to the highest bidder at the time of the auction. In 1820, the contractors were Palmer and Co. The loans advanced by Palmer and Co. to the Government of the Nizam went to such a degree that they reached beyond the repaying capacity of the borrower. In 1820, the British Government advanced sufficient funds to the Nizam to dispose off the loan and started administering the province. This arrangement lasted for eight years after which the administration was again taken over by the Nizam. During the period 1831 to 1839 the contract for the collection of revenue of Berar of which Akola was a part, was with one money lender Puranmal by name. Afterwards it was given to one Mr. Pestonji. II was taken away from Mr. Pestonji in 1845. But he was unwilling to hand over the charge to the Nizam's officials as the Nizam was yet to pay him Rs. 40 lakhs. But the Nizam took the charge forcibly by attacking the personnel employed by Pestonji at Akola and Balapur. The administration of the Nizam was not proper and due to harassment many rich people fled from Akola. Even the agriculturists left their fields and migrated to other places and ultimatelv Akola alongwith Berar was handed over to the British by the treaty of 1853 in return for the outstanding loans advanced by the Britishers to the Nizam.

At the time when Pestonji was contractor for revenue collection a big Hindu Muslim riot took place at Akola. Later when the swadeshi movement had begun with a view to following the example set by Pune and giving a lead to the swadeshi agitation at Akola a meeting of the citizens was held in the Akola High School on 18th February 1877 when many citizens put their signatures on the oath that as far as possible, they would only-use the swadeshi articles. It was also decided to open a shop to sell the swadeshi, articles on 26th February 1877. A municipal committee was established at Akola on June 25, 1866 all the members of which were nominated by the Government. A meeting attended by about 1500 persons was held at Akola on October 27, 1882 under the chairmanship of Barrister Lakshnupati Nayadu and on November 6, 1882 a memorandum was sent to Lord Rippon ascertaining the right of the people of choosing their own representatives to the municipal committee. It was accepted by the Government and the first elections to the Akola municipal committee took place on April 1, 1886.

With the establishment of the Berar Sarvajanik Sabha and the establishment of the All India Congress, when Mr. Hume visited Akola district, he was accompanied by Shri Vinayak Digambar Deoras who took a lot of pains to popularise the Congress in the district. In the condolence meeting of the citizens held in the town hall at Akola after the death of Prince Victor, the grandson of Queen Victoria upon which the Queen Victoria sent the following telegram to the subjects of Akola, which read 'Queen Empress thanks British subjects of Akola for this kind condolence.' The meeting of the Berar Provincial Congress was held at Akola on 2nd November 1894. The first person from whom the then British Government took the security deposit of Rs. 1,000 for his anti-British speeches was Shri. Moropaut Purohit from Akola. An appeal to raise the funds to assist the struggle launched by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa was published at Akola on November 17, 1913. Akola did not lag behind when the call for non-co-operation was given by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. When again the non-co-operation movement was started in 1930 a mob about 7.000 to 8,000 strong thronged the roads in Akola with a veiw to encouraging a batch of volunteer.-, that was to go from Akola io olfer the sad satyagraha at Dahihanda. On April 21 of the same year the picketing was done by local women on the Tilak maidan under the leadership of Smi. Durgabai Joshi and the Salt Act was taken by them.

At the time of the satyagraha in 1930 and 1932, Akola was the principal centre of activity and 33 persons participated in 1932. The 13th convocation of the All India Hindu Maha Sabha was held at Akola under the Chairmanship of Mr. Vijay Raghava-charya on August 7, 1931. The meeting of the Madhyaprant Muslim League was also held at Akola in 1940.

Even in the Quit India Movement the district remained in the forefront and many satyagrahas were witnessed in Akola town also. The district thus has always remained politically conscious.

Municipality: The municipal council was established at Akola on June 25, 1866 under the town Improvement Act of 1850. At that time all the members of the municipality were nominated by the Government. The first elections to the Akola municipal committee took place on April 1, 1886. The jurisdiction of the municipal council extends over an area of 20.88 square km.

At present the municipal council is composed of 47 members. 43 elected and 4 co-opted. Of the elected seats, four are reserved for women and one for the scheduled castes. The Chief Officer is the executive head of the municipality.

As per the Maharashtra Municipalities, Act, 1965, Akola municipal council is an ' A' class municipal council. The Chief Officer is the executive head of the municipality. The municipal administration is looked after by the standing committee and five subjects committees. The list of these subjects committees alongwith their functions is given below.

In the day-today administration the Chief Officer is assisted by the Accountant, the Tax Superintendent, the Octroi Superintendent, the Municipal Engineer, the Senior Sanitary Inspector, the Light Inspector, the Building Sub-Overseer, the Vehicle Inspector and the other necessary ministerial and other staff.

Finance.-The following statement gives the revenue as per the budget estimates from 1955-56 to 1961-62 excluding extraordinary and debt heads.

During the year 1968-69 [During 1973-74, the total income and expenditure amounted to Rs. 13,383,000 and Rs. 12,579,000, respectively.], the total income of the municipality was Rs. 74,39,754.47 composed of municipal rates and taxes, Rs. 50,60,937.21; realizations under the special Acts, Rs. 19,840.24; revenue derived from the municipal property and powers apart from taxation, Rs. 1,56,191.84; grants and contributions for general and special purposes, Rs. 14,28,131.62; income from miscellaneous sources, Rs. 67,696.54 and extra-ordinary and debt heads, Rs. 7,06,957.02. During the same year the total expenditure of the municipality including extra-ordinary and debt heads came to Rs. 68,85,434.31 comprising general administration and collection charges, Rs. 20,67,930.11; public safety, Rs 2,71,538.91; public health and convenience, Rs. 26,01,514.92; public instruction, Rs. 11,39,427.01; contributions, Rs. 15,565.00; miscellaneous expenditure, Rs. 61,270.30 and extra-ordinary and debt heads, Rs. 7, 28, 188.06.

For the convenience of the people the municipality maintains two mutton markets, two vegetable and fruit markets and one fish market. Three bridges have been put across the Morna which divides the town into two parts viz., old town and Tajnapeth areas. The bridge alongwith which runs the state highway has recently been reconstructed in cement concrete at a cost of over Rs. 6 lakhs by the State Government as the old bridge that was constructed over 100 years ago was in a dilapidated condition and was very narrow. The second, a submersible bridge built in stone with arches joins the industrial area with the old town. Over the third bridge runs the Bombay-Howrah main line of the Central Railway. Two overhead bridges on railway crossings have recently been constructed along the Akola Akot road and the Akola-Murtizapur road on metre-gauge railway lines.

The municipality conducts two hospitals, one with 25 beds in the premises of the transferred city dispensary and the other, the recently started Kasturba Gandhi Mahila Rugnalaya with 20 beds and 8 special wards. The municipality also runs two ayurvedic dispensaries, one in the Ashoknagar and the other in the Shivajinagar. A veterinary dispensary is also managed by the municipal council, a third share of expenditure of which is borne by the Zilla Parishad. Besides, there are two hospitals viz., the District Hospital and the Lady Hardinge Hospital maintained by the Government. Three dispensaries are conducted under the Employees State insurance Scheme. Though the town is not susceptible to any epidemic as such, every year precautionary measures are taken with a view to preventing the occurrence of the cases of cholera.

No underground drainage has been constructed in the town. The sewage is carried through open pucca cement concrete 'U' shape drains constructed throughout the town. The drinking water is supplied to the town through the Kapshi water works situated at a distance of 10 miles from the town and the Kaulkhed water works situated at a distance of a mile and a hall from the town. The Kaulkhed water supply scheme that takes water from the Morna was designed and executed by the Public Health Engineering Department of the State at a cost of Rs. 20,20,000 and was completed on April 1, 1965. An amount equivalent to the expenditure involved has been given to the municipality by the State Government as a loan to be repaid in twenty equal instalments. Even with these two water works, water supply to the town is still inadequate and measures to augment it are under study.

The municipal council has constructed three buildings for gymnasiums, one in the old town on Batapur road, the other in Tatharpeth area and the third in the. Tar File area. The total cost of all these gymnasiums is well over Rs 60,000.

The municipality conducts 41 primary schools in the town. It has also stalled a library in Gandhi Jawahar Bag wherein literature on the life of these two leaders and the books written by them are stocked.

The total length of roads in the municipal limits in the town during 1968-69 was 74.44 km, composed of asphalted roads, 62.61 km, metalled roads, 5.36 km. and unmetalled roads 6.47 km The Bombay-Nagpur national highway passes through the town. It enters the town at the western boundary and leaves it in the eastern boundary. The Hingoli-Akot road enters the town at the southern boundary and leaves it at the northern boundary.

To extinguish the fires as and when they occur, the municipality maintains two lire fighters fitted with centrifugal pumps along with the necessary staff. There are seven cinema theatres in the town. A community hall has been constructed in memory of late Pramilatai Oke a prominent social worker. The municipality maintains seven parks in the town.

There are three cremation and burial grounds for the Hindus, for the Muhammedans and the Bohoras and one cemetery for the Christians. These are maintained by the respective communities.

Akola being the headquarters of the district, situated therein are the offices of the Collector and the District Magistrate, the district court, the Zilla Parishad and various other offices resides the District Hospital and Lady Hardinge Hospital maintained by the Government and other hospitals maintained by the municipality and the private institutions. It has a post and telegraph office, a telephone exchange and various other offices of the Central Government. The headquarters of the Punjabrao Agricultural University is also located at Akola. An industrial estate has also been established at Akola. The town has many educational institutions. Akola is a principal centre of trade in food grains. The Cotton and Agricultural Produce Market Committee was established at Akola in 1886 and the commodities brought under control are cotton, groundnut and ail food-grams. The offices of the Akola District Central Co-operative Bank, the Allahabad Bank, the Bank of Maharashtra, the Central Bank of India, the Punjab National Bank, the New Citizen Bank of lndia, and the State Bank of India, are located at Akola. [ District Census Hand Book, Akola District, 1961. ] Akola is also a pilgrim centre. Two fairs are held at Akola, one on Ram Navatri i. e, Chatra Shuddha 9 in March-April and tile other during the Ganesha festival in Bhadrapad i. e, in August-September. About 10,000 people assemble at the time of both these fairs. The district bungalow provides lodging facilities to the Government servants and the public at large.

Objects of Interest: The objects of interest in the town include many maths, temples, mosques and dargahs besides a fort. A short description of these objects is given in what follows

Fort.-Prior to the construction of the fort by Asad Khan, at the same place was an earthen gadhi, village fort constructed by Akolsinh. It is said that the spot was indicated to Akolsinh by the prodigy of a hare pursuing a dog across it The tort at Akola is said to have been constructed in 1697 A.D. during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb. The town still contains the ruins of the fortress and a wall and gateways without any buildings with striking associations. The old Akola District Gazetteer published in 1910 says "A Hindustani School called hawakhana, taking the air, is held in a building in the highest part on the fort, and an old gun near by is fired mid-day, a small lower on the north-west has a spike apparently meant for a gun to turn on. An inscription on the Dahihanda gate gives its date as 1114 Hijri. A.D. 1697, 'during the reign of emperor Aurangzeb Alamgn when Nawab Asad Khan was minister jagirdar in the time of Khwaja Abdul latif.' Another on the fatheburuj bastion nearby has no exact date but mentions the same Khwaja, the Emperor however, is shah Alam and the minister is Asaf-ud-daula. dauia. One on the idgah place of prayer, contains texts and statement that the building was finished by Khawja Abdul Latif in 1116 Hijri. A Marathi inscription on the gate called Agarves says that it was built by Govind Appaji in, apparently, A.D. 1843.'' The fortress, subsequently, was rebuilt, according to tradition, by a naib, called Sale Muhammad Khan who held the tankhavah from the Nizam. It was dismantled by the Government in about 1870. the part of the fort known as havakhana was under the charge of the Archaeological department and it has recently been transferred to the municipality for maintenance.

The fort in the old town situated on the western bank of the Morna has been repaired and constructed by the municipal council in 1957 at a cost of Rs. 1.5 lakhs. Some of the old bastions have also been repaired. The municipal council has laid out a beautiful park known as the Azad Park in the fort. A big pillar has been created in of the fort in memory of the martyrs of the freedom movement. Havakhana still continues lo he a monument, worth visiting.

Of the several temples in the town only four are worth mentioning. They are Rajeshwar temple, two temples dedicated to Shri Rama Rajeshwar temple, two temples dedicated to Shri Hari Hara temple.

Rajeshvar mandir.-The Rajeshvar mandir is said to be one of the oldest temples in the town. The temple premises are entered through a stone, gate surmounted by a nagarkhana. The gate leads into a courtyard surrounded on three sides by halls and pavilions. The halls are utilized for marriages and such other functions. They are also used for religious discourses. The rooms are made available to pilgrims for three days free of charge. A balak mandira is also conducted there. Immediately to the left of the entrance is a small shrine dedicated to Ganapati. This is a recent construction. In the centre of the courtyard stands an old shrine of Shiva. The whole structure measures 60'x30' and is supported by 39 open pillars and two pilasters in the walls of the sanctuary. The sanctuary which stands, at one end contains the linga of Shiva said to be a svayambhu [It is said that digging up operations were started with a view to Sliding cut whether the linga is a svayambhu one. But after sometime the God forbade any further digging] one. The sanctuary has four doors. The mandap proper has two rows of seven pillars each with one pilaster in the sanctuary walls. Each of these rows is flanked by another of nine pillars each, forming side aisles. The mandap is open on three sides and in its front are four pillars, two arranged on either side, beyond which is an old stone nandi. Similarly, near the entrance to a gahhara is a tortoise laid in between a formation of two pillars. The temple has a shikhara.

Festivities are held in the honour of the God on every Monday in the month of Shruvana and on the day of Mahashivaratri. The festival on the day of Mahashivaratri is attended by about 40,000 people. The administration of the temple is conducted by the trust registered with the Government. The temple has a grant of inam land of about 100 acres. The total annual income of the temple is put around Rs. 15,000.

Rama Mandir.-Rama mandir situated near the city Kotvali along the Tilak road is perhaps the most exquisite temple in the town in respect of beauty and architectural ornamentations. The temple was built by Bachuldji at the instance of Shri Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon. The temple has a fine frontage of Jaipur stone richly decorated. On either side two small canopies are formed on slender diminutive pillars. At the base is carved a lion on either side. The canopy pillars also form arches. The canopy forms a central arch. The facade has a figure of Ganapati flanked by female figures, one on either side. and with peacocks looking upon them. The entrance supports a nagarkhana with five arch formations in between slender posts. Flying apsaras decorate the central arch. To the right hand side is a chariot with seated figures, driven by a rider. The chariot is driven by a single horse. To the left is a similar illustration, the chariot in this case, however, being driven by seven horses. The entrance forms a sort of a passage with stone sofas on either side and leads to an open space beyond which is the mandap. The mandap is supported by 16 pillars, six lined across the length on either side and two across the breadth. These pillars form arches and are richly decorated especially at their bases. The pillars support a gallery above which has an equal number of pillars smaller in size and not so richly decorated as the pillars of the mandap are. From the ceiling are hung a number of chandeliers adding to the exquisiteness of the temple.

The sanctuary is fenced off from the mandap by a wooden fence. Inside the sanctuary is a two-stepped wooden throne plated with silver bearing some line sculpture work. The uppermost or the third step holds the marble idols of Rama in the centre, with Sita and Shatrughna to his left, and Bharala and Lakshmana to his right. The idols wear crowns of silver. The jambs of the sanctuary entrance are similarly plated with silver and ornamented with creeper and floral patterns with dvarpalas. In front of the gabhara is housed under a canopy an image of Hanuman. On the left is a retiring room. The sanctuary has a shikara (of bricks and chunam). The base at the terrace level has two elephant figures, one on either side. Al the top of the base are the smaller replicas of the Shikara The shikara rises in seven tiers.

A fair is held in honour of the God Ramchandra on Chaitra Shuddha navami. About 10,000 people assemble at the time of the fair.

The management of the temple is vested in the Trust known as the Ramchandra Harihar Samsthan. The temple owns land of about 700 acres. The temple gets a monthly income of about Rs. 3,000 by way of rent from the theatre and shops which line the frontage and a lodging and boarding house, housed above.

Shri Rama Mandir.-Located in Jathar Peth area along the railway line, Shri Rama mandir is a recent construction. It is a modern temple and is a private shrine of the Birlas. The gate having grilled doors is crowned by an idol of Shri Krishna Hanked on either side by the statues of a cow. The gate gives access to a courtyard at the farther end of which is the temple. Just before the arched steps to the temple is a fountain with a seated Shankara image with water issuing out from his knotted locks. A climb of a few steps leads into a verandah with benches on either side and a small temple of Shiva al the right end. In front stands a fine white marble image of nandi. Besides the linga, the temple contains the images of Karttika Svami, Parvati and Ganapati, all of white marble. The verandah entrance is crowned by a sort of a four-sided shikhara formation rising on narrowing square tiers. The mandap door is simply grilled and has two lattice work windows on either side. The mandap measures 40'X 20 and has images of Lakshmi Narayan and Radha Krishna on the walls to the left and the right respectively. On the right side wall is depicted Arjuna in his chariot driven by Krishna. Some passages from the Bhagvatgita are inscribed below. The side wails are separated by pillars, the capitals of which are decorated with elephant-heads. The sanctuary contains the images of Rama, Lakshman and Sita standing on a lotus flower with Hanuman. Its lintel is decorated by an image of Ganapati in a canopy borne by a bird which looks more like a pigeon, than Garuda. The gabhara is crowned by a shikhara. The floor of the temple has been paved with marble and a beautiful garden has been laid out.

Rama navami is celebrated in gaiety when about 50,000 people throng the temple.

Hari Hara temple.- The temple dedicated to Hari-Hara is situated at the southern end of the old town on the Akola Washim road. Though of lesser consequence, the temple has religious importance and many devotees throng the temple especially on Mondays in the month of Shravana. The locality around the temple has come to be known after the temple as Hari-Hara peth.

Mosques.-There are a number of mosques in the town. Important amongest them are the Jumma mosque and the kachchhi mosque.

Jumma-mosque is said to be the oldest mosque and is situated in the old town on Agarbes road. It is maintained with the income from the property said to have been donated to the mosque by the Nizams of Hyderabad. The other mosque the kachchhi mosque is a well-built mosque in Tajnapeth area. It was constructed in the beginning of 20th century by Kachechhi Memon Jamat.

Dargahs.-Of the dargahs in the town the Aga Miya dargah and the Zulpikaralli dargah are important. The Aga Miya dargah is the oldest dargah in the town and is situated on the eastern bank of the Morna. The expenditure on the maintenance of the dargah is met from the income it receives from the 'inam land held by it. The Zulpikaralli dargah is also an old dargah situated on the western bank of the Morna on the Distillery road near the railway line. An yearly urus is held at the dargah which is attended by a number of people.

Maths.-Shri Babaji math, an old math, is said to have been obstructed about 300 years ago. It is situated on the Akola-Akot road and is a spacious building. Every year a fair is held on Ashvina-Paurnima which is attended by the local people only.

Shri Shivacharan Baba math is also an old math situated in the old town area. It was constructed in memory of saint Shivacharan Baba. It also is a spacious building. The math maintains a sarai for the residence of those who pay a visit to the math.

The third viz., Shri Jangam Math Sansthan is a religious centre of the Veershaiv Lingayat community. It owns a piece of land measuring about 90,000 square feet. This institution which is committed to the educational uplift of the community maintains a hostel for its students and has recently constructed a new building for the same purpose.

Churches.-There are three churches in the town. Of these two are Roman Catholic and one is a Protestant church.

Memorial Halls.-A big hall is constructed by the Pramilatal Oke Memorial Committee near the Swarajya Bhavan. It has been constructed in memory of the late Smt. Pramilatai Oke who was a leading social and the Congress worker. She had taken an active part in the freedom movement since 1930

The municipal council has recently constructed two memorial halls in Gandhi Javahar Bag just opposite to the Government Circuit House named as the Ganuhi Darshan hall and the Javahar Darshan had. The bronze statues of both these leaders viz., Mahatma Gandhi and Javaharlal Nehru, have, been installed in front of the respective memorial halls at a cost of Rs. 40,000. The building has been constructed at a cost of about Rs. 50,000. Photographs portraying important events in the life of these two leaders, the literature written by them and that written about them are kept in the respective memorial halls.

Statues.-Besides the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Javaharlal Nehru installed in front of the respective memorial halls, the municipality has installed the bronze statues of Lokmanya Tilak, Chhatrapati Shivaji, Netaji Subhashachandra Bose, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and Mahatma Gautama Buddha. The statues of Mahatma Gandhi. Chhatrapati Shivaji and Gautama Buddha are bigger than life-size and have cost the municipal committee Rs. 15,000, Rs. 45,000 and Rs. 7,500. respectively. The total cost of all the statues with pedestals and installation expenditure was about Rs. 1,00,000.

Martyrs Memorial.-The martyrs memorial pillar with the figure of a lion on it 42' high has been erected in the old fort which is now converted into Azad Park in memory of the thous sands of men and women, known and unknown who sacrificed their lives in the freedom struggle. The pillar was inaugurated on the Independence day in 1957.

Clock Tower.-The municipal council has erected a clock tower on the Rani Zanshi Marg at a cost of about Rs. 1,00,00. The tower was completed and was declared open on February 12, 1962 by the then Prime Minister of India, Pandit Javaharlal Nehru.

The municipal council proposes to have a museum of historical articles and pictures concerning the national movement, a multipurpose stadium, an open air theatre and an art gallery.

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