Thursday, March 9 2006 11:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Yangon: President A P J Abdul Kalam today(Mar 9,2006) visited the mausoleum of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor of India who was exiled to Yangon after the British quelled the first war of Independence.

Kalam, on the second day of his three-day visit to Myanmar, the first ever by an Indian President, paid homage to Zafar, who was kept in a garage attached to a bungalow of ajunior British officer in Yangon, where he died in 1862.

Alongside Bahadur Shah Zafar's grave, his wife ZeenatMahal and grand daughter Raunaq Zamani were also buried.

During a digging activity in 1991, a subterranean grave was discovered which is believed to be the true grave while those on the ground level were believed to be decoys constructed by the British, who were so cautious that they did not permit any visitor to he premises for 30 years after hisdeath.

The Bahadur Shah Zafar Trust was set up only in 1935 after a court decree, under the Chairmanship of Sikander Bux and the tomb was handed over to the Trust, which maintained the mausoleum with the collection and donations made by the general public.

There had been a proposal to shift the remains of Bahadur Shah to Delhi and that of Myanmar's King Thibaw, who had been exiled in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra by the British to Myanmar, but the leaders of the two countries had felt that these shrines were part of each other's shared historical and cultural legacy and should be maintained where they are.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had taken a 'Delhi Chalo' pledge in Yangon and also visited this Mazaar.

The Indian Embassy here has streamlined its activities at the Mazaar in recent years. The Ambassador and other officials make formal visits to the Mazaar on January 26 and August 15 and the Urs of Bahadur Shah Zafar.

There has been a tradition of Indian leaders to visit the monument as a part of their official itinerary during their visits to Myanmar.

The Embassy also arranges a 'Qawali' programme at the Mazaar under the sponsorship of the ICCR and extends assistance to the organisers of the annual Urs.

Pakistan has also been making efforts to claim the monument and wants the remains be shifted to that country. The matter was taken up by President Pervez Musharaf with Khim Nyunt, Secretary-I of the State of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) during the latter's visit to Pakistan in July, 2000.

During President Musharraf's visit to Myanmar on May 1, 2001, he announed a donation of 50,000 dollars for constructing a new building at the Mazaar. A plaque commemorating his visit was also handed over to the trust.

Myanmar authorities have not approved the construction of the additional building and they have also assured the Indian side that no decision contrary to India's interest would be taken in this regard.