Kotwara

The Legend goes that when Raja Sopi left the capital Anhalwara Patan he was guided by a certain light which took him northward. One day he come to rest under a Semal tree.
As he fell asleep the same light that had guided him reappeared, out of which Lord Vishnu emerged saying that he had now reached his destination and was resting in his ancestral family kingdom where once his illustrious forefather, Raja Murat Dhwaj had ruled. Lord Vishnu told him of the severest of test through which he passed with unflinching faith thus earning the blessing of the Lord for himself and his progeny. In his apparition Lord Vishnu said, 'The Supreme Consciousness is not consciousness of itself.
It is beyond experience. It is beyond the realm of time in which the lapse of a century is no less or no more than the lapse of moment. The sleep state is akin to the state of God.
When you wake up you wake up you will find a herd of wild buffaloes in which there will be a brown bison. Strike in my name the bison with your sacred sword and where falls its head was the seat of your glorious forefather, Raja Murat Dhwaj, the most benevolent ruler of all times.

Suddenly the light vanished and all he saw was a herd of wild buffaloes running around.
And in the lot was indeed the brown bison.
This is Kotwara and this is the symbolism of its insignia….. the crown the bison, the semal leaves and the swords.

Kotwara is the oldest living civilization of Lakhimpur Kheri, the largest district in Awadh. Awadh is today a cultural identity of a region of the erstwhile Nawabs.
Kotwara was seat of Raja Murat Dhwaj of Mahabharat times. The family of Chavdas
Once ruled the country from Cambay to China till they were contained only in Gujarat.
In 1007 when the rulers fled from Gujarat they resettled in Kotwara and since then the chain has continued unbroken.

Kotwara is 160 kms. from Lucknow in the Tarai region of Uttar Pradesh bordering Nepal from Dudhwa National Park. The nearest railhead is Gola Gokarannath, which has one of the oldest temples of Lord Shiva built by the Rajas of Kotwara. It is also mandatory to have the darshan of the Raja before the darshan of the Shiva Temple is Complete.
Kotwara is set amidst an undulating landscape of ancient mounds overlooking an oxbow lake dating back to the Mahabharat times. A road through a 500 acres forest leads to the Anhalwara Palace.

As the name implies, the Tarai is well irrigated fertile region adjoining the foothills of Kumaon where once forest belt were cleared for cultivation after the influx of migrants from Punjab. Still large forest tracts remain which includes the Dudhwa National Park. There are several old temples and palaces in the area and interesting day excursions could be designed for visitors. Coming from the hills of Kumaon the swift and wide Sharda river flows through the enormous sparsely populated district.

The forest provides potential for wildlife tourism with camping in the region along with fishing, boating and horse riding in the pictureque undulating countryside.

Kotwara has either been a location, or a production base for Muzaffar Ali's film Umrao Jaan, Gamman, Aagaman, Anjuman and even Zooni along with serials Husne Jaana and several telefilms.

The Anwalhare Palace, originally a mud fort rebuilt in bricks in 1892, is set amidst a garden of fragrant red roses.
The palace has been slowly undergoing continuous restoration with a regular stream of visitors coming in from different parts of the world. It also houses an archive of film costumes and craft designed in the region.
The palace has four independent havelis named Mustafa Manzil, sajjad Manzil and Sartaj Mahal. The rooms are decorated with film themes Umrao Jaan and Anjuman and called by these names. Currently there are 7 double bedrooms with a capacity of creating 8 more rooms in Sartaj Mahal.

Interest in Kotwara is therefore on several levels which fall under the broad areas of humanity and aesthetics. It was the vision of Raja S.Sajid Husain of Kotwara, Muzaffar Ali's father, who was an independent 'Member of Legislative Assembly' from the region
From 1936 to 1952 and Chairman of the U.P. Assaembly towards the end of his tenure.
He was a man with futuristic ideas on humanism, audio visual education, family planning, irrigation and hydel power. After completing his Masters from Edinburgh University he returned to India with revolutionary ideas. He was vehemently against communalism and casteism and till he died he remained Chairman of the Indian Humanist Union, a national body with an international affiliation. He has been the guiding light for Kotwara and his death anniversary 3rd February is commemorated as Humanist day, Manavta Divas, by the Dwar Pe Rozi School.

Dwar Pe Rozi (Employment at Doorstep) is a charitable society founded by Muzaffar Ali
In 1990 designed to address social uplift issues in his home village, Kotwara and champions the cause of Art for peace. Envisioning a global, national and local cause, Dwar Pe Rozi is a futuristic venture towards promoting creative Art for Peace and the holistic evolution of global Indian village.

The society also runs a School in a 14 acre mango grove. The school has made a moderst beginning with aid for the building from Umang Charitable Society, Sam Rich Endowment Fund and some friends. The UNESCO under their Village One World program had sponsored a Dhurie weaving workshop and a school newspaper project, Kabira. Manavta is a newspaper that is now being planned to be launched by the Dwar Pe Rozi School.

The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA runs an annual students program with the village school. Students under a professor from the university visit school and conduct several building and communication exercises. This is the third year running that this group has visited Kotwara. The visit to Kotwara as you will see from the comments has changed their lives and way of looking at India.

Under Dwar pe Rozi, employment at doorstep, Kotwara has a haven for craft. With continuous input in design from Meera and Muzaffar Ali and their team trained at NID and NIFT Kotwara has become a strong designer brand both in India and abroad. The craft in Kotwara is Chikan, Zardozi and Dhurie weaving. The national and International media, both print and electronic has begun to take notice of Kotwara and its craft and cultural development.

Each group that visits Kotwara personally hosted by Meera and Muzaffar Ali.
Filmmaker & painter, Muzaffar Ali, the present Raja of Kotwara, has been trying to realize the vision of his father, Raja S. Sajid Husain, and imparting his own artistic values along with input of his architect wife, Meera Ali. For them craft design has been an important tool for social emancipation and cultural development.

The Village Cluster development program of Development Commissioner Handicraft, Government of India, namely Baba Sahab Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojna will look at craft as a long term community development and empowerment scheme in the Kotwara and Lucknow region.

The awareness level of Kotwara as a village, as a rural education center, as a studio ,craft center and couture label by Meera & Muzaffar Ali has become an attractive tourism concept which need to be regularly promoted and marketed. Regular participation of Kotwara in fashion shows in India and abroad has give the profile an evocative image.

Every year in aid of Dwar Pe Rozi Society, an annual festival of Sufi music, Jahan e Khusrau, is held in Delhi presented by Delhi Tourism co sponsored by Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Government of India and several other sponsors.

Lucknow becomes an important gateway for Kotwara and has its own tourism. We could offer sightseeing of the city in old classic cars, along with a visit to Kotwara Housein Heritage Zone of Qaiser Bagh Palace Complex. Kotwara House is a living Museum of Craft, Artifacts and Film Coustumes.

Muzaffar Ali's feature films Umrao Jaan and Anjuman have projected the culture and ambience of Lucknow and created strong identity of the maker with the fabled city the world over. In the recent year several books on lucknow have also created much interest in the region.
Plans are underway to convert Kotwara House into a Heritage Hotel, which will become a lever for conservation of the QaiserBagh Heritage Zone, and a nucleus for Awadh culture, craft and cuisine.

Over the year we have developed through such endeavour a movement to create friends of Kotwara all over the world.
These friends are kept abreast of happenings in Kotwara through a flier which is now being replaced by a newsletter.

The future of Kotwara tourism, craft and rural development lies in a cooperative effort integrating inputs from friends and visitors, NGOs, State and Central Governments, corporate sector, and above all the beneficiaries themselves.
The areas of development will be infrastructure, such as roads links, rail connections, environment conservation, protecting the same from noise and air pollution, uninterrupted power supply, health schemes, education drive, forest conservation and lake development. In the field of education a polytechnic is being planned as forward linkage to the ongoing DPR school.
In the agricultural sector an alternative to sugarcane should be developed and sericulture can be an excellent substitute. Under the Soil to Silk program this could be taken up with the rural folk. Organic farming is another sector that the DPR would like to develop in the future with collaboration of the Government or a corporate sponsor.
An important dimension that has not been fully explored is the cultural and musical dimension with Muzaffar Ali's deep interest in the field. A series of music oriented groups are being planned.
An archive of Muzaffar Ali's film and craft designs can be a focal point of tourism to Kotwara. A museum and a theatre for screening has to be created for this purpose.