village was converted into a temple. On March 9, the statue of Lord Bhairav was installed in the temple.
According to Ram Swaroop Maharaj, the chief of Bharat Mata Temple, there has been ongoing public awareness work in the region through the Vishwa Hindu Parishad for a long time. Several families had distanced themselves from Hinduism many years ago. Last year, a Trishul Diksha( trident initiation) ceremony was held in Gangdatlai, where these people decided to return to Hinduism. The place where the temple is now being constructed was previously a church. Gautam Garasia, the former priest of the church, has now been appointed as the priest of the temple. Gautam Garasia claims that he was lured into converting to Christianity many years ago but was not given anything in return. Now, he is returning to Hinduism.
Gautam Garasia, who was once a priest at the village church, has now also returned to Hinduism. Gautam,
who is from the Garasia tribal community, explained that he converted to Christianity thirty years ago. After that, officials associated with Christianity began visiting the village, and prayer meetings were held. His two sons, daughters-in-law, and other family members also converted to Christianity, and he was made a priest. However, under the Bharat Mata Project, most families in the village have now reverted to Hinduism.
He mentioned that after becoming a priest, he built a church on his own land around three years ago. After the church was established, other priests began visiting for religious meetings. Every Sunday, prayer meetings were held at the church, and 45 other villagers also converted to Christianity. However, after Gautam Garasia returned to Hinduism, his family and 30 other families also embraced Hinduism. The church, which has now been transformed into a temple, can be seen from a distance with a religious flag flying atop the structure.
The building that was once a church in the village is now a temple. The temple has been painted in saffron color, and all Christian symbols have been removed from the interior. A new platform has been constructed to install the statue of Lord Bhairav. On March 9, the statue of Lord Bhairav, which was brought from the Talwara town in the district, was placed in the temple. The Pran Pratishtha( consecration) ceremony was attended by the families who had returned to Hinduism. Before the ceremony, a procession with the statue of Lord Bhairav was taken around the village, where people showered flowers and welcomed the procession. The statue was then brought into the temple, where it was installed with rituals like Havan( fire ritual) and Arti. On this occasion, devotional Wadi Bhajans were performed, and in the end, Mahaprasad( blessed food) was distributed. The administration and police were present for security. �
April 2025 | Dalit Andolan Patrika 35