THE KING OF DESTINATION (MANCHESTER)

?There,? said our guide excitedly, ?That is the stone circle I have been telling you, you can take as many photographs as you wish.? And she pointed out to a neat semicircle of about a dozen graying stones standing proudly at the edge of a small cliff.

We were touring the lovely Lake district of England and were enjoying the placid beauty of the place. Blue lakes dotted the landscape, soft, low gradual mountains and lush green meadows and grass by the roadside charmed us. I was struck by the sheer beauty of the place.

No wonder William Wordsworth, Shelley and other English writers and poets made this area their home, writing verses and verses about its beauty. It inspires and excites, it fills one with contentment and joy.

It was autumn, the time when the leaves turn russet brown and the tree tops are flaming reds, oranges and browns, a time of beauty and joy. We enjoyed seeing the sheep with their heads bent low, lazily munching the grass non stop, we saw the dancing daffodils, the pale watery sun being chased by the light fleecy clouds, the rain playing hide and seek but never disturbing anyone. And we were charmed.

The bus carrying us that day came to a slow stop and people rushed out to see the famous stone circle. We had all heard about these circles made by prehistoric man, some four thousand years ago. They spoke of the stone implements they must have had, of the urge to drag these stones to the mountain tops and place them there in a semi circle. They must have had some reason for doing this, some aim and specific agenda.

There were several other people also gazing at these stones. There were about a dozen of them green grey in colour but placed equidistant from each other in a semicircle formation. They overlooked and gazed at the green open space below as they were almost at the edge of the mountain.

?Can anyone guess why they have been placed here?? asked our guide.

?Maybe for religious reasons? said one from our group thoughtfully.

?Maybe they were placed there to study the change in seasons or to measure the sun?s rays or something?, said another.

?Or maybe they were used to separate and enclose a special place for men to gather,? said another playfully, ?They must have used the mountain top for discussions, away from the women .Ladies must have been banned here,? a statement that drew a lot of protests from the ladies in the group. It incited a lively discussion.

?Women might have made them for precisely the same reason,? said a bold lady smilingly, ?They may have wanted to have private discussion.?

?On gossip and beauty?? asked a smart young gentleman sarcastically, ?Come on, dragging such big stones to the mountain tops was certainly a man?s work. They may have wanted this exclusive place to plan and discuss about wars, or territories or religion?.

The discussion was fast becoming an argument and our guide tried to pour oil over troubled waters by saying, ?Stone circles have been found in different parts of the world as well. There have been such creations in America, Brazil and other places. But here in Cumbria , Scotland and Wales, there are plenty. Stonehenge is the most well known among all. No one knows precisely why these stone circles were made. Whether for superstitious, religious, social or political reasons, ? she ended.

?Or maybe just for fun, to make descendents like us curious and excited over them,? said an old woman.

?No one drags stones above a mountain at a time when no vehicles or instruments like cranes existed. They must have carried them on their backs.? Said another wisely.

?Whatever may have been their reason but I,? said the man who had earlier raised the shackles of the ladies in the group, ?I certainly feel that these stone circles were social places like our clubs where people gathered and discussed, played games or sports far away from prying eyes and unwanted people.?

And that seemed the end of the discussion as we trooped back into the bus, thinking over the ancestors who had made stone circles for whatever reason.