Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden

{{Short description|Monument and museum in Uttar Pradesh, India}}

{{Infobox park

| name = Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden

| photo = Buddha park Noida.jpg

| photo_width = 270

| photo_caption = Entrance of the Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden in 2012

| type = Public, memorial park

| location = Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

| map =

| map_width =

| map_alt =

| map_caption =

| coords = {{coord|28.568057|N|77.311784|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| area =

| opened =

| operator = Greater Noida Authority

| visitation_num =

| status = Open year round

}}

The Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden (National Dalit Inspiration Place and Green Garden) is a memorial in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.{{cite web | last=Valdmanis | first=Richard | title=Photo gallery: A walk through Mayawati’s Dalit park | website=Reuters | date=15 October 2013 | url=http://blogs.reuters.com/india/2013/10/15/photo-gallery-a-walk-through-mayawatis-dalit-park/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020224502/http://blogs.reuters.com/india/2013/10/15/photo-gallery-a-walk-through-mayawatis-dalit-park/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=20 October 2013 | accessdate=20 April 2016}}{{cite web | title=Visitors throng Noida memorial on Ambedkar birthday | website=hindustantimes.com | date=15 April 2016 | url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/noida/visitors-throng-noida-memorial-on-ambedkar-birthday/story-tj6DMWHi4myN2Drm6CyuEM.html | accessdate=19 April 2016}}{{cite web | title=Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden in Noida | website=A Glimpse Of India | date=14 October 2011 | url=http://www.discoveredindia.com/uttar-pradesh/attractions/parks/rashtriya-dalit-prerna-sthal-and-green-garden.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504221252/http://www.discoveredindia.com/uttar-pradesh/attractions/parks/rashtriya-dalit-prerna-sthal-and-green-garden.htm | url-status=usurped | archive-date=4 May 2016 | accessdate=24 April 2016}} It was commissioned by former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati and inaugurated on 14 October 2011.{{cite web | url = http://www.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ws251011MAYA_PARK.asp | title = Maya’s dream park is far from complete | author = Arpit Parashar | publisher = Tehelka | date = 2011-10-25 | accessdate = 2011-10-25 }}{{cite web | last=Arvind | first=Ayesha | title=Noida Park set to open on Oct 14 | website=The Times of India | date=4 October 2011 | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Noida-Park-set-to-open-on-Oct-14/articleshow/10226123.cms | accessdate=24 April 2016}}{{cite web | last=Offensive | first=Marking Them | title=Noida Dalit Park opens today, fee Rs 20 | website=The Times of India | date=2 October 2013 | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/Noida-Dalit-Park-opens-today-fee-Rs-20/articleshow/23374598.cms | accessdate=24 April 2016}} Cost of ticket for entry is {{INR}}20 with 7000 visitors every week{{Cite web|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/dalit-prerna-sthal-statues-noida-mayawati-5587530/|title=A day in the life of Dalit Prerna Sthal in Noida|date=2019-02-17|website=The Indian Express|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-22}} and 10000 visitors on Ambedkar Jayanti.{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/prerna-sthal-visitors-park-cars-on-road-choke-film-city-for-6-hours/articleshow/68880448.cms|title=Prerna Sthal visitors park cars on road, choke Film City for six hours|last=N|first=TN|website=The Times of India|language=en|access-date=2020-01-22}}

Museum

The memorial includes a mini-museum known as the Rashtriya Dalit Smarak (National Dalit Memorial) and a green expanse built on an area of 82.5 acres along the banks of river Yamuna. The Rashtriya Dalit Smarak is spread over 33 acres of land, and includes the idols consecrated for the people who devoted their life for humanity, equality and social justice, including Gautama Buddha, Sant Shiromani Raidass, Sant Kabir, Jan Nayak Birsa Munda, E V Periyar Ramasami, Narayana Guru, Chattrapati Sahuji Maharaj, Bhimrao Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule and Kanshi Ram. It also has twenty-four eighteen-foot high sandstone statues of elephants, the symbol of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).{{cite web | url = https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/10/18/dalit-park-boon-or-bane-for-mayawati/ | title = Dalit Park: Boon or Bane for Mayawati? | author = Preetika Rana | date = 2011-10-18 | accessdate = 2011-10-25 | publisher = Wall Street Journal }} The monument is dedicated to the social reformer and has been constructed to honour the "unparalleled struggle of these stalwarts towards the struggle for social transformation".{{cite news | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/news/maya-park-dedicated-to-victims-of-iniquitous-social-order/859246/ | title = Maya park dedicated to ‘victims of iniquitous social order’ | author = Dipankar Ghose | newspaper = Indian Express | date = 2011-10-13 | accessdate = 2011-10-26 }}

History

File:National Dalit Memorial Noida.jpg

=Construction=

The park was built at a cost of {{INR}}6.85 billion{{cite news | url = http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/mayawati-to-inaugurate-685-crore-noida-memorial-park-today-141006 | title = Mayawati to inaugurate 685-crore Noida memorial park today | publisher = NDTV | date = 2011-10-14 | accessdate = 2011-10-25 }} and the Mayawati government expected to recover the cost from ticket sales.{{cite news | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/8827368/Head-of-Indias-poorest-state-opens-10-million-theme-park-dedicated-to-her-family.html | title = Head of India's poorest state opens £10 million theme park dedicated to her family | publisher = The Telegraph | date = 2011-10-14 | accessdate = 2011-10-26 }} In October 2009, the Supreme Court of India had ordered the Mayawati government to halt construction work, amid concerns that the project might "not be eco-friendly" as it is located near the Okhla Sanctuary. In December 2010, the court withdrew its earlier concerns and the project was allowed to proceed.{{cite news | title = India court okays Dalit leader Mayawati's statues park | url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11910895 | date = 2010-12-03 | accessdate = 2011-10-26 | publisher = BBC }} Since the memorial also featured her own statues, political opponents accused the Chief Minister of being a "megalomaniac", and she was criticized by the Indian National Congress, among whose members would voice accusations of her "wasting the tax-payers' money". Mayawati's BSP dismissed the allegations, stating that her statues were erected because Kanshi Ram's will requests that his statues should be constructed next to the current President of the BSP. Mayawati also accused the Congress of being "anti-Dalit".