Ambedkar Memorial Park, formally known as Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Prateek Sthal,
is a public park and memorial in
Gomti Nagar
Gomti Nagar is an area in the Indian city of Lucknow consisting of both residential and business settlements. It is one of the largest and fast growing areas of Lucknow. It is also considered as Asia's largest Colony. It is home to high-end res ...
,
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
,
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
, India. The memorial is dedicated to
B. R. Ambedkar
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served ...
, the 20th century Indian
polymath
A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...
and the first law minister of India.
The park also honors the lives and memories of
Jyotirao Phule
Jyotirao Govindrao Phule, also known as Mahatma Jyotiba Phule (11 April 1827 – 28 November 1890) was an Indian social activist, thinker, anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. His work extended to many fields, including erad ...
,
Narayana Guru
Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritua ...
,
Birsa Munda
Birsa Munda (15 November 1875 – 9 June 1900) was an Indian tribal freedom fighter, and folk hero who belonged to the Munda tribe. He spearheaded a tribal religious millenarian movement that arose in the Bengal Presidency (now Jharkhand) i ...
,
Shahuji Maharaj, and
Kanshi Ram. The park also has 124 monumental elephants. The memorial was constructed by
Mayawati
Kumari Mayawati (born 15 January 1956) is an Indian politician. She has served four separate terms as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. She is the national president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which focuses on a platform of social cha ...
, the former
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, during her administration when she led the
Bahujan Samaj Party.
History
![Dr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Dr._Bhimrao_Ambedkar.jpg)
The foundation stone of the memorial was first laid in 1995. Earlier, the park was named Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Udyan. In 2002, it was renamed the Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial and development work continued until 2002-03. In 2007, the park underwent further renovation and development. It was initially opened to the public on 14 April 2008 by Chief Minister Mayawati.
The entire memorial is built using red
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
brought from
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...
. It is situated in the posh locality of Gomti Nagar, the largest planned residential colony in India. Cost of the memorial is estimated at 7 billion
rupees
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of
India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
. Its name was changed from Ambedkar Park to Bhimrao Ambedkar memorial in May 2012.
Features
There are several sites comprising the memorial park.
Ambedkar Stupa
![IMG-20200113-WA0032](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/IMG-20200113-WA0032.jpg)
This construction is the heart of the entire memorial. The sanctum sanctorum consists of many statues depicting the biography of Ambedkar. There are four doors in opposite directions. This is a construction in the shape of a flower bearing four petals. There is a bronze statue of Ambedkar seated in a chair, facing towards the two domes. The Ambedkar statue was modeled on the
sculpture of Abraham Lincoln at the
Lincoln Memorial in
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
.
At the base of the statue a message in Hindi reads:
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sangrahalay
Opposite to the Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial is the Sangrahalay (
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...
), constructed over an area of about 2.5 acre (11,008 sq.m.). The building has two domes on top. It contains large statues of Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, Shri Narayan Guru, Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar and Shri Kanshiram. Another building consists of 18-foot tall marble statues of
Tathagat Gautam Buddha,
Sant Kabir Das,
Sant Ravidas,
Guru Ghasidas and
Shri Birsa Munda.
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Gallery
Constructed in an area of 4 acres (16,207 sq.m.), this place has murals made of bronze.
Pratibimb Sthal
![Pratibimb Sthal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Pratibimb_Sthal.JPG)
Pratibimb Sthal is the main entrance to the memorial guarded by statues of 62 elephants either side.
Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Drashya Sthal
Constructed on an 80-foot pyramid type structure on the back of Pratibimb Sthal, the Drashya Sthal offers a vantage point from where the park, shrines, structures and sites integrate as a view of the whole area. The flow of water from the top of the pyramid entertains visitors.
Vandalism
On 26 July 2012 a statue in the park was damaged by members of a group calling themselves "Uttar Pradesh Nav Nirman Sena".
A replacement statue was re-installed overnight by the Lucknow city administration.
Film shooting
In the
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film ''
Youngistaan
''Youngistaan'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language political film directed by Syed Ahmad Afzal. It stars Jackky Bhagnani, Neha Sharma and Farooq Sheikh with Kayoze Irani appears in a special appearance and Boman Irani appears in a cameo appeara ...
'' (2014) actors
Jackky Bhagnani
Jackky Bhagnani (born 25 December 1984) is an Indian actor, film producer and entrepreneur.
Early life
Bhagnani was born in Kolkata, West Bengal in India to a Sindhi family. After schooling, he got a degree in commerce from H.R. College of Comm ...
and
Neha Sharma
Neha Sharma (, born 21 November 1987) is an Indian actress and model. Sharma made her acting debut with the Telugu film ''Chirutha'' (2007) and her Hindi film debut with '' Crook'' (2010). She was highly appreciated for the semi-hit '' Kyaa S ...
shot in Ambedkar Memorial Park and were surprised with its vast scale.
After permission for shooting outside the memorial in March 2014,
Aditya Roy Kapur
Aditya Roy Kapur (born 16 November 1985) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in 2009 with the musical drama film ''London Dreams''. Kapur had his first commercial success came with the romantic mu ...
and
Parineeti Chopra
Parineeti Chopra (; born 22 October 1988) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of several accolades, including a Filmfare and a National Film Award. She has appeared in ''Forbes India'' Celebrity 10 ...
shot for "Rangreli" song of film ''
Daawat-e-Ishq
''Daawat-e-Ishq'' () is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Habib Faisal, and produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. It stars Parineeti Chopra and Aditya Roy Kapur. The soundtrack was composed ...
''.
In November 2015,
Ravi Kishan
Ravi Kishan Shukla (; born 17 July 1969), popularly known as Ravi Kishan, is an Indian actor, politician, film producer and television personality. He currently serves as Member of parliament, Lok Sabha from Gorakhpur. His film works are predo ...
shot for a Bhojpuri film at Ambedkar Memorial Park. In February 2016,
Mika Singh
Mika Singh (born 10 June 1977) is an Indian singer. His songs include "Bas Ek King" ('' Singh Is Kinng''), "Mauja Hi Mauja" ('' Jab We Met''), "Ibn-e-Batuta" (''Ishqiya''), and "Dhanno" ('' Housefull''). He has released several solo albums and ...
and
Urvashi Rautela
Urvashi Rautela (born 25 February 1994) is an Indian film actress and model who predominantly appears in Hindi films. She was crowned Reina Hispanoamericana India 2022 and represented India at the Reina Hispanoamericana 2022 pageant.
Raute ...
also shot for their new music video named ''Lal Dupatta Kurta Chikan Ka'' just outside the Memorial
In 2017, the song "Jogi" from the movie ''
Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana
''Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language romance-drama comedy film directed by Ratnaa Sinha. The film features Rajkummar Rao and Kriti Kharbanda in lead roles, while K. K. Raina, Alka Amin, Vipin Sharma, Govind Namdev, ...
'', starring
Rajkumar Rao
Rajkummar Rao (born Raj Kumar Yadav; 31 August 1984) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films. He has appeared in more than 30 films since 2010, and is the recipient of several accolades including a National Film Award, three ...
and
Kriti Kharbanda was shot here. In 2017 small part of Movie ''
Bareilly Ki Barfi
''Bareilly Ki Barfi'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari based on Nicolas Barreau's novel, ''The Ingredients of Love''. It stars Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao in lead ...
'' starring
Ayushman Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao and
Kriti Sanon
Kriti Sanon (born 27 July 1990) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi and Telugu-language films. After pursuing a degree in engineering from the Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, she briefly worked as a fashion model. Sanon began ...
was also shot here.
Legal issues
Since 2009 the memorial has been involved in a legal battle. In June 2009 the Supreme Court issued a stay against further building on the project, until the
Public Interest Litigation The chief instrument through which judicial activism has flourished in India is public interest litigation (PIL) or social action litigation (SAL). ''Public interest litigation'' (PIL) refers to litigation undertaken to secure public interest and de ...
(PLI) questioning these expenditure was settled. Despite initially denying even maintenance costs, in December 2010, the Uttar Pradesh government received permission to perform maintenance and completion of the park.
On 2018, the
Allahabad High Court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to provide the status report on the vigilance department's investigation in connection with the alleged Rs 1,410 crore memorial scam involving this monument.
Gallery
File:Ambedkar Park Lucknow.JPG, Inside view of Ambedkar Park in Night
File:B.R. Ambedkar statue at Ambedkar Park.JPG, Statue of B.R. Ambedkar inside Ambedkar Park, Lucknow
File:Ambedkar Udyaan Lucknow Left Dome.JPG, Morning View of Park
File:The Middle Portion with the right Dome in the Backdrop.JPG, Night View
File:Right Side Pillers at the entrance.jpg, Pillars at Night View
File:Ambedkar Park, Lucknow, India.jpg, View from outside
File:IMG-20200113-WA0048.jpg, Middle View
File:Ambedkar Memorial Park-Lucknow-Uttar Pradesh-MA21.jpg, Ambedkar Memorial Park, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
File:Ambedkar Memorial Park-Lucknow-Uttar Pradesh-MA22.jpg, Ambedkar Memorial Park, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
See also
*
Statue of Equality
*
Statue of Unity
The ''Statue of Unity'' is the world's tallest statue, with a height of , located near Kevadia in the state of Gujarat, India. It depicts Indian statesman and independence activist Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950), who was the first deputy p ...
References
External links
Ambedkar Memorial, Gomti Nagar @ WikimapiaPhotos of Ambedkar Udyan Memorial, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh @ panoramiaThe saga of Ambedkar memorial The Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
, TNN, 21 June 2002, 12.36 am IST
Thousands throng Ambedkar Memorial Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
, Express News Service, Mon 7 December 2009, 01:47 hrs
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Dalit monuments
Bahujan Samaj Party
Buildings and structures in Lucknow
Monuments and memorials in Uttar Pradesh
Memorials to B. R. Ambedkar
Gardens in Lucknow
2008 establishments in Uttar Pradesh
Buildings and structures completed in 2008
Statues of B. R. Ambedkar
Memorial parks
Sculpture gardens, trails and parks in India