historical context
plot distribution map of mandi
Pangna was the capital of the Suket dynasty. The Suket kingdom belonged to the Sen kings who were originally from Bengal. They had initially fled to Ropar in Punjab on account of being driven northwards by the turk general Bhaktiyar Khilji in 1210 AD. But here the king, Rup Sen was killed, and one of his sons, Bir Sen, fled to the hills and reached Suket. The State of Suket is said to have been founded by Bir Sen.
One of the popular myths associated with the village is that of the Suket king’s daughter who had taken her own life and the tall Kathkuni temple, more popularly known as Pangna fort, as being dedicated to her memory.
As the local folk story goes, a neighbouring Brahman who saw her playing with her friends dressed up as boys, reported to the Raja that his daughter had affairs with some boys. She was reprimanded to such an extent that she eventually took her own life. She then left a letter saying that for the proof of her virginity and piety, her corpse will be buried under a particular rock and that after six months, if the grave was dug up, her corpse would come out un-decayed. The Raja did accordingly and after six months, it is said that he found the corpse of the princess just as it was buried, un-decomposed. The Brahman who was responsible for the tragedy was declared ‘Chandal’, an untouchable. The Mahamaya temple was dedicated to the memory of the king’s deceased daughter. Till date members of the priest’s family are not allowed to visit the temple. The lower castes are also not allowed inside the temple. They can only go upto the temple court. However many of the rituals performed in the temple seem to have a tantric origin.
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Post independence, the Indian state declared the power of the princely states null and void. All land belonging to the princely states was nationalised. Pangna witnessed a small civil revolt where the people of Pangna drove the king away. The land seized by the India State was now used to make schools, health centres, a revenue office and PWD guest houses.
The school space itself has grown from being a small primary school to a large secondary school over the years. The school has two major open spaces, one is the main school ground and the other along a staircase which acts as an amphitheatre. The activities vary from playing, and conversations to practices for annual and cultural events conducted in school.The street that surrounds the school forms an interface between the school and the settlement.The activities of the children spill over on the streets along the school due to the presence of general stores, where children get their snacks during school hours.
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Along this road is also located the primary health centre of Pangna. However, for major illnesses people choose to go to Shimla.
Mahamaya Mata