ASI declares Mizorams Lianpui menhirs monument of national importance
Lianpui village near the Myanmar border is home to the memorial stones, locally known as Lungphun Ropui. The village is situated 54 km southeast of Champhai town near the India-Myanmar border, and it is famous for its rich repository of ancient artefacts.
This is the second megalith site in Mizoram to receive national recognition after 'Kawtchhuah Ropui' or Great Entranceway in Vangchhia village, which hosts over 170 engraved menhirs and is located about 20 km south of Lianpui village, they said.
The formal notification declaring the Lianpui menhirs as a monument of national importance was issued by the Ministry of Culture on July 14, following years of research and inspection, they said.
These antiquarian artefacts include 114 intricately carved memorial stones, anthropic holes, petroglyphs, Y-shaped wooden posts and ancient pathways.
The upright memorial stones at Lianpui bear detailed carvings of human figures, birds, animals, mithun heads, gongs, lizards, and other cultural motifs reflecting the cultural practices of the Mizos before the advent of Christianity, according to officials.
The largest of such memorial stones measures 1.87 metres in height and 1.37 metres in width, they said.
Lianpui village was named after Lusei chief Lianpuia, who reportedly established the village in the 18th century CE.
Mizoram's lone Rajya Sabha member K Vanlalvena, had informed the Parliament in March that the ASI, after a thorough inspection by experts, had found Lianpui village to possess significant archaeological heritage worthy of national importance.
According to officials, the process of declaring the site of national importance began in February 2021 with the publication of a preliminary notification in the Gazette of India, marking the commencement of a statutory procedure required under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, for declaring protected monuments.
On July 7 this year, ASI Director (Monuments) A.M.V. Subramanyam visited Lianpui village and confirmed that final steps were underway to declare the megalith site of national importance.
With no objections filed, the Centre finalised the notification declaring Lungphun Ropui a monument of national importance and brought the site under national protection.
Meanwhile, residents of Lianpui village expressed happiness and thanked the Art and Culture minister C Lalsawivunga and K Vanlalvena for their efforts towards receiving the ASI's tag.
Art and culture department director Carol VLMS Dawngkimi also expressed happiness due to the national recognition and dedicated the achievement to the hard work of many individuals, particularly former convener of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritagem (INTACH) Mizoram chapter P Rohmingthanga. PTI CORR SBN SBN
view comments
First Published:
July 18, 2025, 16:15 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Six months after cracks appeared, work on Mandvi yet to begin
Vadodara: Six months have passed since serious structural damage became apparent on a pillar of the Mandvi pavilion, at the heart of the walled city. The agitation by an activist, who has been standing barefoot for a few hours every day at the pavilion, also entered its 100th day on Monday. The Mandvi pavilion started showing cracks in Jan, after which activists raised concerns about its condition. Demonstrations were held at the pavilion, joined even by political parties. The VMC then asked a consultant appointed for heritage structures to assess the condition of the monument. Steel girders were installed to support the structure. However, many believe that these girders did more damage to the pavilion, causing its arches to develop cracks. In April, an expert from the Archaeological Survey of India examined the monument. The ASI official, as well as experts from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and Heritage Trust, expressed concern at the structure's condition. The method to support the structure was also changed later. The priest of the nearby Vitthalnathji Temple and activist, Hariom Vyas, has been standing in the pavilion barefoot for a few hours each day to protest the apathy towards Mandvi. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The broadcast didn't go as planned. Undo His protest completed 100 days on Monday. Vyas told mediapersons that he had raised the issue even before the present crisis emerged. Congress city unit president Rutvij Joshi and other workers met Vyas and expressed solidarity with him. Joshi said Vyas had resolved to save Mandvi and was standing barefoot, but even this had no effect on officials. The square pavilion was built in 1511 by Sultan Muzaffar Shah along with the walled city and is at the centre of the roads connecting the four gates of the walled city. The structure was renovated and extended in 1736 and 1856 during the Gaekwadi rule. It is now a four-storey structure with a clock at the top. The pavilion has 16 pillars with three arches on each of its four sides.
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
DDA to build steel fence along Yamuna floodplain to prevent encroachment
New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will install a steel fence along an 11-kilometre stretch of the Yamuna floodplain from Wazirabad barrage to ITO barrage, in a bid to protect the ecologically sensitive area from encroachment, officials said on Monday. The project, estimated to cost Rs 18 crore, will be executed within four months by the selected contractor. This initiative comes as part of a broader effort to reclaim and protect the river's floodplain. In April this year, the DDA informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it had recovered 24 acres of encroached land under the Yamuna Vanasthali project between January and April. 'The fencing will secure restored areas like Yamuna Vatika, Asita, and other vacant patches on both eastern and western banks. A tender has been floated for this," a DDA official said. Over the past two years, several recreational spaces have come up on the Yamuna floodplain, which includes parks and cafes, all developed by DDA along the 22-km stretch of the river starting from Wazirabad barrage and ending at Okhla barrage. The projects are Asita East and West and Kalindi Aviral, which include the Baansera Park, Vasudev Ghat, Amrut Biodiversity Park and Yamuna Vatika near Rajghat, covering a combined area of 740 hectares. The ongoing Yamuna Vanasthali plan is one of the Yamuna floodplain restoration projects on the eastern bank, stretching from the Wazirabad Barrage to the Sarai Kale Khan ISBT Bridge, spread over an area of 236.5 hectares. The DDA also plans to interconnect all its existing and upcoming parks along the Yamuna floodplain. PTI SSM SSM AMJ AMJ view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 22:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
Over 80,000 candidates accept DUs UG seats in 1st round; fee deadline July 23
Agency: PTI New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) More than 80,000 candidates have accepted undergraduate seats in the first round of Delhi University's (DU) seat allocation, according to official data released by the university on Monday evening. According to the figures from the Common Seat Allocation System-Undergraduate (CSAS-UG) portal, 80,015 candidates accepted their allocated seats as of 7 pm on July 21. Of them, 31,088 have been approved by college principals and 17,702 have completed fee payment. This year, the university has made 93,166 allocations against 71,624 seats across 69 colleges and 79 undergraduate programmes, indicating that internal movement and reallocations are expected in the subsequent rounds. 'More than 93,000 allocations have been done based on the pattern and requirement of previous years, as many students shuffle their seats from one college to another," a senior DU official told PTI. The CSAS-UG system, which forms the basis of these allocations, factors in CUET-UG scores, candidate preferences and reservation norms. The allocations span various categories, including Unreserved (UR), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Weaker Section (EWS), Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Sikh Minority, Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD), Kashmiri Migrants, Single Girl Child and Orphan candidates. Under the Single Girl Child category, 1,325 allocations were made, while 259 orphan candidates — 127 females and 132 males — secured seats in the first round. Candidates had until 4:59 pm on July 21 to accept their seats. College-level verification and approval will continue until July 22, with the last date for fee payment set for July 23. In a step towards transparency, the university has allowed candidates to view the minimum allocation scores and ranks for each programme and college. These details are accessible through their dashboards and will also be published on the official admission website. Meanwhile, allocations for performance-based programmes, such as Hindustani Music, Karnataka Music, Percussion Music, Physical Education and Fine Arts, will be conducted in the third round. Candidates seeking admission in these categories have been advised to check the trial schedules on the respective college or department websites. The second round of seat allocation is scheduled to be announced at 5 pm on July 28. The academic session for first-year students will commence on August 1. PTI MHS RC view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
