The Man Who Moved The Man Who Moved a Mountain

a Mountain: Location Fact File: Gehlaur is a village in the Gaya district of Bihar state in
eastern India. To the north, it borders Nepal. The famous River Ganges flows
A Remarkable True Story of One Man’s Endeavour right through Bihar from west to east. The Himalayan mountains begin a short
Dashrath Manjhi was a relatively poor man who worked as a labourer in a
distance over the border into Nepal.
remote mountain village near Bihar in eastern India. After a tragic event, he
dedicated his life to an incredible project which led to him becoming known as
Dashrath Manjhi died on 17th August 2007. He was
‘Mountain Man’ or ‘The Man Who Moved the Mountain’.
given a state funeral by the government of Bihar,
Living on a mountain just south of the Himalayas, Manjhi and his community which is a type of public ceremony usually only held
were isolated from the nearest towns. When his wife accidentally fell one day, to honour very important or significant individuals.
she was injured and in need of medical help. The journey to the nearest hospital
or doctor was 55km and, sadly, Manjhi’s wife died as a result of her injuries and The Mountains of India
being unable to receive appropriate medical attention in time. India is home to some of world’s largest mountain ranges. One of the most
The labourer said that he never wanted anyone else to suffer the same fate as his famous is the Great Himalayan Range, which spreads across five countries. The
wife. He spent the subsequent 22 years single-handedly creating a passageway northern region of India is covered by part of the Himalayas and the source
through the mountain with only a hammer and chisel. Before he ploughed of the River Ganges is in this mountain range. It is a popular destination for
the fields each morning, he spent hours of every day hammering the rock of tourists to partake in rock climbing, trekking and adventure sports. This brings
the mountain. He would then return in the afternoon and into the evening in money to the region from outside visitors. There are also beautiful views,
to continue his quest. Manjhi had to sell the family’s three goats to buy the valleys and forests. More importantly, the Himalayas play a large part in
hammer and chisel that he used. influencing the climate of India. They are a natural barrier against freezing
winds from the north and also a defence barrier against foreign invasions.
When news spread about what the man was doing, many people thought that
he had gone mad. His community worried that he would die before ever coming The tallest mountain peak in India is the main Kanchenjunga peak, which is the
close to completing the mission. However, in honour of his wife, he continued third highest mountain in the world. The Kanchenjunga has five peaks in total.
for more than two decades, from 1960 to 1982, working day and night. By the It sits on the Nepalese border and is more than 28,000 feet tall at the highest
time he had finished, he had carved a road through the side of the mountain. point. Around the mountain, a national park protects plants and wildlife such
The village now has access to schools, hospitals and jobs for the first time, and as the Indian leopard, musk deer, red panda and over 500 species of birds.
Dashrath Manjhi became an inspiration to the whole society after the incredible
feat that he was able to accomplish. Thanks to the efforts of this ‘Mountain Many mountains in India have great religious significance and also bring
Man’, the distance from the village to hospital was reduced from 55km to 15km. economic benefits. However, there are also modern threats to the mountains
such as tourism, deforestation and poaching. The negative aspect of attracting
tourists is the
The road that he created is flanked by 25 foot (7.5 metre) high
potential damage
mountain walls on either side. It is 30 feet (9 metres) wide and 360 feet
or wear to the
(110 metres) long.
natural environment.
In 2011, a documentary film was made about Dashrath Manjhi,
called ‘The Man Who Moved the Mountain’. Another film was
made in 2015 called ‘Manjhi – The Mountain Man’.
Kanchenjunga mountain peak, India.

Join Book Club to receive printed copies Join Book Club to receive printed copies
of Originals stories each half-term. Page 1 of 6 of Originals stories each half-term. Page 2 of 6
Visit twinkl.co.uk/book-club Visit twinkl.co.uk/book-club
 The Man Who Moved a Mountain The Man Who Moved a Mountain

Questions 8. Look at the section The Mountains of India.

What are the positive and negative aspects of the mountains attracting tourists to the
1. What was the tragic event that prompted Dashrath Manjhi to spend so long carving a
region?
passageway through the mountain?



2. What did other people initially think of Manjhi’s project when he first started? 
 

9. Complete the information in this table about The Mountains of India.

The first row has been done for you.
3. Look at the first two paragraphs. Find and copy a word which means ‘remote or far away
from other places, buildings or people’.
 Highest peak of the Kanchenjunga in number of
28,000
feet
4. 'The labourer said that he never wanted anyone else to suffer the same fate as his wife.’
What does this suggest about Manjhi’s character?
Total number of peaks on the Kanchenjunga
 mountain


Number of species of birds in the national park


Number of countries over which the Himalayas are
5. What is meant by a ‘state funeral’ and what does this suggest about the way the
spread
government felt about Dashrath Manjhi’s actions?
 10. Explain why the mountains in the Great Himalayan Range are important to India
 as a country.
 
 
6. How do you think local people felt when the road through the mountain was finally 
completed? 
 




7. Look at the Location Fact File.

Which direction is Nepal from India? Circle one.

north east south west

Join Book Club to receive printed copies Join Book Club to receive printed copies
of Originals stories each half-term. Page 3 of 6 of Originals stories each half-term. Page 4 of 6
Visit twinkl.co.uk/book-club Visit twinkl.co.uk/book-club