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MUMBAI, MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010

T he response to Mumbai’s SevenWonders campaign launched by thispaper in association with MTDC on

Friday has been unprecedented. Amongthe entries received were surprises likethe Gorai Pagoda and Antillia, billionaireMukesh Ambani’s new residence, and ofcourse the perennials like the Gatewayand CST.

It was a tough task for our panel todraw a short-list of 15 from the thou-sands of preferences you have sent. Butthey did their job and the verdict is in.Starting today, we begin profiling the 15sites, one each day. You can start votingright away if you think what appears inthe paper today qualifies for beingcrowned as one of Mumbai’s SevenWonders. But that’s only the first phase.

After all fifteen contenders havebeen featured, we will open the entirefield for voting again. And yes, once thevotes have been counted and the SevenWonders consecrated, will begin a cele-bration of Mumbai's heritage and glory.

Thank you, dear readers, for makingthis campaign such an overwhelmingsuccess.FOR TODAY’S WONDER NOMINEE,GORAI PAGODA, TURN TO PAGE 10

Vasai resident Francis Gomes had kept his wife and threedaughters in captivity for seven years; Decomposing corpsewas found in Nalla Sopara flat, cause of death unknown

F rancis Gomes, the psycho dadwho confined his wife and threeyoung daughters to their housefor seven years, was found dead

at his rented apartment in OswalNagari in Nalla Sopara on Sunday. InSeptember 2009, cops and members ofan NGO stormed his flat in Vasai torescue the three women, who sufferednot just confinement but also beatingsand starvation.

On Sunday, police found Gomes'sbody, which they said must have beenrotting for the past one week, afterneighbours, unable to bear the stench,called the control room. Nobodyknows when and how he died.

TURN TO PAGE 4 »

PSYCHO DAD DEAD,NEIGHBOURS FINDBODY DAYS LATERRam Parmarmirrorfeedback@indiatimes.com

Francis Gomes’s (left) wife Theresa (right, centre) died in an old-age a few months aftershe and her daughters were rescued

Beyond the Global Pagoda’s spiritual undertone lies the architectural charisma of 700-kilo stonesinterlocked in a megalithic style. Together, they have put the stone wonder on the world map

MONDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2010MumbaiMirror

Revival of the stone age10

Justsee

* Approximately 2.5 million tons of stonewas used in the construction.* At 325 feet height, it is almost as tall asa 30 storey building.* 3.87 million man-days were required tocomplete the monument.

GORAI VIPASSANA PAGODA

Didyouknow?ne ticket? One?” theman asks in surprise.Dressed in Hawaiianshirt, the EsselWorld

employee selling ferry ticketscan't fathom the notion of asupposedly solo outing to theamusement park. “But I amgoing to the pagoda, next to thepark!” you struggle to clarify,over the din of the impatient'family crowd'. And then pointto the pagoda, bright and shinyunder the morning sun, rightacross to Gorai.

On the other side, the roadforks into two and you can'thelp but notice the contrast.One, swarming with a hyper-active group anticipating a goodtime; and the other, a silent oneleading up to the pagoda. Wemake our choice and leave thepicnic-ky chatter behind. Closerto the dome, we notice the con-struction work is still on. “Themain dome is complete. What'sleft is its beautification,” saysKhandharji, an engineer whohas been involved in the con-struction from the beginning.

Gorai was the chosen spot,says Khandharji. “Our teacherVipassana Acharya SN Goenkahad a few plots in mind.However, Daruchiriya (whoattained enlightenment aftermeeting Lord Buddha) andPunnashravak (a devoted medi-tator who became a seniormonk) share history withNalasopara, which is very closeby. That makes this land pious,”he says. Not to forget, its posi-tion was ideal as it would beaccessible and not too far awayfrom the city either, but farenough from the cacophony.The land valuation, even backthen, was in multiple crores,“far from affordable” we aretold, but the owner's generositypaved the way and theentire land was donatedfree of cost!

If the pagoda's sheersize holds you in awe,the statistics behindonly amplify theeffect. To start with,the 325-feet tall pago-da can accommodatealmost 8000 attendeessimultaneously. Anarchitectural replica ofthe Shwe DagonPagoda of Myanmar, itstands without any pil-lar support and usesthe ancient stoneinterlocking sys-tem, with each stone weighingalmost 700 to 800 kilos! “Earlier,the pagoda was to be built ofconcrete. But to give it a better

shelf-life, we opted for stone.Now, the pagoda will standstrong for at least 1000 years,”informs Anandji, our guide whoshows us around.

While the attention-grabbinggolden paint has been donatedby fellow-wishers fromThailand, the 60,000-kilo statueof Gautam Buddha, carved outof a single piece of marble stone,has been donated by Myanmar.Then, the main entrance to thepagoda is flanked by a bell and agong — the former weighs13,000 kilos. The circumambu-lation path outside is to be laidin marble while the pagoda'shand-carved doors and flooringinside are made of Burmese teakwood. The center of the firstdome's ceiling is fixed with akeystone that consists ofBuddha's relics, brought fromthe Maha Buddhist society ofKolkata. Even as we struggle tograsp the enormity of it all,Anandji keeps rattling off fig-ures, each notching up to tonesand lakhs.

As the work inches forward,the pagoda is slowly metamor-phosing as a mass educationalcenter propagating Buddha'spreaching. Already, the firstfloor houses 117 paintings byVasudev Kamath and sevenother Burmese assistants. On theway are a video gallery and afood court as well. “Plus, theMMRDA is chipping in withgood infrastructure to reach thepagoda. This will ensure that thetraffic is handled well,” informsKandharji.

Clearly, the pagoda is set tobe a spectacle.And it's not justthe structurethat we aretalking about,but the faiththat standsbehind it.

VIKAS HOTWANI

OVIKAS HOTWANI

The photo gallery housing 117 paintings

A 60-tonne statue of Buddha at the entrance

A view inside the Pagoda

The intricate work seen at the entrance

IN ACCOCIATION WITH

A view of the Global Pagoda and (right) the 13,000-kilo bell at the entranceof the pagoda SMS If this is your choice for Seven Wonders then sms pagoda to 58888