Temples of modern India
Topic: Water Resources of India: Availability, Use and Conservation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 3 "Water Resources"
Meaning
"Temples of modern India" was Jawaharlal Nehru's name for large dams and multipurpose river projects. He believed these dams would link the growth of farming and village life with fast industrial and city growth. He also saw them as a way for India to leave its colonial past behind and build a modern nation. Because of this belief, river projects got high priority in the Five Year Plans.
Example
The Bhakra-Nangal project on the Satluj is the classic example. The Bhakra dam at Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh was completed in 1963 and forms the Gobind Sagar reservoir. Together with the Nangal dam in Punjab, it supplies power and canal water to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Don't confuse with
- Criticism of large dams: this is the opposite view. It says big dams harm rivers, ecosystems and displaced people. Mains questions often ask whether dams are "temples of modern India or tombs of rivers".
Related concepts
- Multipurpose river project
- Bhakra-Nangal project
- Hirakud dam
- Damodar Valley Corporation
- Sardar Sarovar project
- Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project