After Gurgaon, Centre has plans for Dankaur

DANKAUR: After renaming Gurgaon as Guru Gram, BJP-ruled government has a plan to develop Greater Noida’s Dankaur as domestic circuit. Dankaur is known as hometown of Guru Dronacharya. It is part of Guatambudh Nagar district. Minister of state (independent charge) for culture and tourism Mahesh Sharma is member of Parliament from Gautambudh Nagar.

Locals believe that Eklavya had built Dronacharya’s temple. They blame that ruling BJP government in Haryana has renamed Gurgaon, where Dronacharya had taught Pandavas and Kauravas but BJP is going slow on plan to revamp Dronacharya's hometown. Union minister Mahesh Sharma said that government has plans to develop Dankaur as a tourist spot.

Talking to TOI, Mahesh Sharma, minister of state (independent charge) for culture and tourism said that a study will be conducted to establish how to put this site on national or international map. “Recently, we had planned to develop this site because this site has historical identity. We will conduct study to how to proceed further on the project. Culture and tourism ministry can spend money on the project. We will gain some inputs, thorough study, to how to proceed further in this project,” said Sharma, who is also MP from Gautambudh Nagar.

“Our initial working on the project, suggests this project can only be developed as domestic circuit. There is insufficient features to make it a national or international circuit,” Sharma further said.

Locals in Dankaur has religious sentiments for the site. “Guru Dronacharya had trained Pandavas and Kauravas in Gurgaon (recently named Guru Gram). But Dronacharya’s hometown Dankaur is experiencing step motherly treatment. We had urged our MP Mahesh Sharma to develop it as circuit. He has promised to take it up,” said Anuj Nagar, a local.

In the Mahabharata, Eklavya was the son of Hiranyadhanus, who was King Jarasandha's army commander and leader of the Nishadhas. He approached Dronacharya to tutor him in the arts of war, especially archery. Dronacharya was a Brahmin teacher working under the employ of Hastinapur to teach the young Kaurava and Pandava princes martial arts.

The locals believe that Eklavya had offered his right hand thumb to Dronacharya in Dankaur only. After discovery of Dronacharya’s statue, the area was named a Dronakaur, later it was named Dhankaur and finally Dankaur.

The local believe that during British rule, a statue of Guru Dronacharya was recovered during digging in the area. They believe Eklavya had created the statue of Dronacharya and used to worship him before practicing. “There is historic statue of Guru Dronacharya, well and temple too. Every year a mela is large scale mela is also organized in the area in the name of Guru Dronacharya. This site is historically rich and government should promote it,” said Udaiveer Bhati, another local.



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