India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar hoisted the largest Indian national flag on the tallest mast, at the historical Pahari Mandir, in the presence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, and other leaders. While Pahari Mandir is known for its historical temple of Lord Shiva, it was used by the British to hang freedom fighters. The national flag is traditionally raised at the temple every Republic Day and Independence Day as a mark of respect to our fighters.
Both the leaders hoisted the 60-kg flag on the pole that stood at 293- feet, and was at 493 feet from the ground level. The flag was sent up by a motorised mechanism, in the presence of a large number of school students and supporters. Officer-on-Special-Duty Amit Kumar, the brainchild behind the concept said, “We were planning for renovation of the Mandir. Since, the national flag is traditionally hoisted here on every Independence Day and Republic Day, we thought why not make it a permanent and a grand feature. This happened in May.” The Pahari Mandir Vikas Samiti comprises of government officials who manage its affairs.
When asked how the mammoth task was tackled, Kumar replied, “Among the foremost tasks was testing of the soil and creating anchors and a strong platform for the flag pole to be installed. Then, we needed a high quality flagpole, which is 293-feet. So, we floated a tender and the award went to the Indian unit of Walmart, which met our specifications for the flagpole. The flagpole was made and then brought in from Pune.” Nearly 40 workers were involved in preparing the flag and the entire work was done in Mumbai.
Speaking at the function, Parrikar lauded the efforts of the Jharkhand government, saying the spirit of Republic Day was visible three days before, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. “Jharkhand has given a lot to the country. It has not been able to develop up to its potential. It is time the country gave back to Jharkhand. I can assure that there will be no hindrance to its development and whatever help is needed from our side, it will be given.”
It is said that more than 250 freedom fighters were hanged from Pahari Mandir by the British, which is the reason it came to be known as “Phansi Tinguri”.
