Latehar: History is replete with love stories that transcend boundaries both physiial and societal and there are places which have made such sagas immortal. One such place is Magnolia Point at Netarhat in Latehar district of Jharkhand where an English girl immortalised her love by ending her life by jumping into a ditch after she lost her lover, a tribal shepherd.
Netarhat, a hill station, is around 150 kilometres away from Ranchi, the state capital. While tourists throng the place to admire the spectacular sunrise and sunset, Magnolia Point narrates the story of the daughter of an English governor and a tribal shepherd with paintings and magnificent structures. Love is not bound by restrictions and once such love story was born in the beautiful valley of Netarhat.
Statue of Magnolia's horse (ETV Bharat) The story dates back to when the British ruled India. Netarhat, owing to its location, was one of the favourite places among the British. Lieutenant-Governor of the Bihar and Orissa Province in the Bengal Presidency of British India Sir Edward Gait too loved the place and often stayed with his family in a bungalow called 'Chalet'. Sir Gait's daughter Magnolia was mesmerised by the beauty of Netarhat and explored the place on a horse. One fine day, she was riding her horse and heard the sweet tune of a flute emanating from the valley. Magnolia followed the tune and saw that a shepherd named Batuk was playing it while grazing his cattle. Magnolia now started frequenting the spot to listen to Batuk, for hours. As Magnolia and Batuk came closer, they eventually fell in love.
A painting of Magnolia with Batuk (ETV Bharat) However, as was expected, Sir Gait was furious when he learned of his daughter's love. He ordered his soldiers to eliminate Batuk by throwing him into a ditch hundreds of feet deep in Netarhat Hills. Magnolia was not aware of this and came to know of her lover's death from some shepherds. Batuk's death davastated Magnolia who could not bear it and ended her life by jumping into the same ditch with her horse. This brought an incredible love story which transcended societal boundaries. Tourists visiting Netarhat get to know of the love story by the plaque and several paintings on the lovers at the spot.
The love story narrated on a stone plaque (ETV Bharat) Magnolia Point is located at Batua Toli at a distance of nine km from Netarhat market. The place is also popular as Sunset Point. Netarhat is called the Queen of Chotanagpur owing to its natural beauty. Situated at an altitude of around 3,761 feet above sea level, the weather of Netarhat remains pleasant throughout the year.
