CRPF Personnel Reopen Ram Temple in Chhattisgarh Village Locked up by Naxals 21 Years Ago: Raipur: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses an election rally in a corner of Bastar and talks about the sanctity of the Ram idol in Ayodhya, residents of Sukma, a tribal village several kilometers away in the Naxal-hit Chintalnar region, are holding a housewarming ceremony again and again. dance for joy After 21 years, the Naxalites ordered the closure of the Ram temple in their village.
An ancient temple in Keralapenda village, about 90 km from Bastar division’s Sukma district headquarters, which was among the villages worst affected by the insurgency, was reopened on Monday with cleaning of the marble statues of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana being installed. The missing pooja happened after 21 years.
“Villagers said that in 2003, when the Naxalites were more active, they threatened villagers to close the temple and did not ask anyone to open it or pray. As far as is known, this particular area was the center of the Maoists where they, among other things, camped, held meetings, and used it as a corridor for their movements,” said Sukma SP Kiran Chavan.
The opening of around 40 security camps in the Bastar region gives soldiers access to villages in the interior, while a new CRPF camp has opened between Keralapenda and Lakhapala, where local tribes who would never interact with outsiders can liaise with security personnel.
“The new camp was inaugurated on March 11 and the soldiers visited the temple while dominating the area,” said Himanshu Pandey, commander of CRPF 74 Battalion. Locals who came to talk to them said the Maoists tried to close the temple in 2003 by violently damaging it.
CRPF Lakhapal security camp deputy commander Ravi Kumar Meena said that during the medical camps organized by the security forces, the villagers had demanded the reopening of the temple and this was considered due to their religious inclinations.
A medical camp was organized in front of the temple on Monday.
Local writer Raja Rathore said that despite a family lighting clay lamps at the door of the temple, villagers were afraid to go near the temple.
He said the villagers, who had not left the village for years and never interacted with outsiders, were happy to dance to the tune of Ram Bhajan.
The origin of the temple is not yet known, but locals say that the worship of Lord Rama is part of mythology and hence it is estimated that the temple was built around 1970. This village of 800 people is currently planning a ‘Bhandare’. All the best for the upcoming Ram Naomi celebration and consecration of idols in the temple.
History of Ram Mandir Foundation
The villagers explained how the ancestors of the village built the temple when the Bihari Maharaj in 1970 established it. The entire village took cement/stones/gravel/sticks on their heads and built a temple about 80 kilometers from Sukma, with all the villagers participating in the construction. enthusiastically done. There were no roads then. There were no vehicles to carry the goods. It was because of their faith in Lord Rama that the villagers traveled long distances to fetch essential supplies.
Moreover, after the establishment of the temple, meat and liquor were strictly prohibited in the village. It is said that after the establishment of the temple, the entire area and village was dedicated to Lord Rama and almost all the villagers wore Kanti. Do not eat meat or alcohol after wearing Kanthi.
In a tribal area where the whole village consumes liquor made from ‘mahua,’ everyone is said to have stopped drinking meat liquor. Even today, 95 percent of the men and women in the village do not use it. The people of the badly affected Naxal areas have never liked the Naxalites in terms of worship and behavior. Because they stayed away from violence. The Naxals banned the visit around 2003 due to a lack of support.
The Mahamela was attended by saints and sages from Ayodhya
The villagers said that decades ago, a grand fair was held here, attended by sages from Ayodhya as well as people from distant villages.
Many pilgrims from Jagdalpur also came here, he said. However, due to increasing Naxalite unrest and the suspension of religious services by the Naxalites, all activities came to a complete halt. Religious services and fairs have been suspended here due to Naxal pressure, sources said.
The Naxalites later reportedly vandalized the temple and locked it up. In this village of 25 houses, a priest worshiped and maintained the temple. But after the orders of the Naxalites, services in the temple were stopped and the condition worsened.
There is also an idol of Lord Hanuman on the top of the temple:
This temple of Lord Rama in Keralapenda village has an idol of Lord Hanuman on the top of the temple. The temple looks very old and the marble statues of Lord Rama, Lakshman, and Sita inside the temple are beautiful. In addition, at the request of the villagers, after 21 years, the villagers also held church services in the temple in the presence of the soldiers.
The villagers expressed their desire to restore this temple to the CRPF jawans. Following this, the CRPF officials assured that the repair work on the temple would begin soon. As soon as the doors of the temple were opened, some villagers started dancing happily.