Editor

Ambarnath Temple in Maharashtra is one of the ancient temples of Bharat and is known for its unique architecture. It was built in 11th century AD and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This magnificent temple is located on the banks of Waldhuni river.

According to legend, this temple was carved from a single stone by Pandavas in one night as they took shelter here. The temple has its Garbhagriha below the ground, reached by around 20 steps from the Mandapa.  The temple has open Shikhara, and legend has it that the temple has hidden passageway which was used by Pandavas. Interestingly you will find a passage that is now locked and nobody is allowed to go through. Every year lakhs of Hindus visit the temple especially during the holy Shravan month and Sivratri festivals.

Unfortunately the ancient temple and the Deity has become victim to the appeasement politics of Bharatiya Janata Party. A coterie of politicians from NDA government at centre, BJP government ruling Maharashtra state and Corporators of Bharatiya Janata Party ruling Ulhasnagar have come together to desecrate the sanctity of the temple by allowing a Muslim graveyard in the vicinity of the temple. Hindus of the area were in a rude shock when they saw the proponents of Hindutva politics started treading the same old path of Muslim appeasement for a few votes. The hardest part was that they chose to appease Muslims by desecrating the ancient temple and also by displacing hundreds of Hindu families living near the temple.

Muslims of the area were demanding a new graveyard for them in addition to the one they already use. They were issued a land which was far away from the temple at first. However the land allocated for Muslim graveyard were opposed by builder mafia as they feared this will lower the value their property being developed. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hell bent on providing safe haven for businessmen, the BJP government in Maharashtra was no lesser in their friendliness with realtors. The original land allotted for Muslim graveyard was changed and a new land near Ambarnath Siva temple was finalised by the administration.

The new land near the Ambarnath temple was opposed by both Hindus and Muslims of the area. Muslims feared that this will lead to unnecessary confrontation with Hindu community, as graveyard will desecrate the Siva temple. Also the Muslim graveyard also included Ganesh Visarjan pond that was used by Hindus during Ganeshotsav. However the politicians and state administration have asked them to keep quiet and leave the whole matter to them. Surely the politicians couldn’t offend the realtors and builder mafia. Easier was to displace Hindu families and desecrate the Siva temple, as Hindus have relied totally on BJP and RSS for their safety and security.

The Ganesh Visarjan tank was actually made by the same municipal council at a cost of Rs.80 lakhs on plot no. 243 . The Ganesh tank would also be demolished by the Devendra Fadnavis government as part of converting the entire land into a graveyard.

The intervention of the Narendra Modi government at centre also quickened the whole process. In year 2017, it is said that Muslims of the region requested Narendra Modi to intervene and he entrusted the matter to Muqtar Abbas Naqvi, the Minority Affairs minister. Naqvi inturn wrote a letter to Maharashtra government asking them to act on the request for graveyard for Muslims.

The process of making a graveyard near Ambarnath temple was hastened after central intervention. The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation which is governed by Bharatiya Janata Party issued notification of converting the land into graveyard. This was done by ignoring the recommendation of many officers who cited the illegality of the same. The land was coming in the flood zone and was prohibited for use as graveyard.

 

But for those politicians who were blind in appeasement and with insatiable hunger for votes, rules and laws were no hinderance. They went ahead with the process of demarcation of land as graveyard. Hindus were alarmed at the betrayal of the Hindutva politicians and had no other option except to move High Court. However the remedy was denied as the Maharashtra government on oath misled the court with blatant lies in their affidavit. The court was made to believe that the graveyard was as per law and the Hindus who moved court was driven by malice. The fact however was that the graveyard was shifted to near Ambarnath Siva temple at behest of builder mafia.

The below map will clearly show that the proposed graveyard is only 223 metres from the Siva temple. Also the graveyard will subsume the land which now has Ganpati Visarjan tank and also the land where around 250 Hindu families reside.

Buoyed by success in denying justice to Hindus via courts, the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation immediately issued notices to 250 families living nearby the proposed graveyard to vacate their residences. There was no alternate accommodation or land given to the families by Maharashtra government. Also was ignored the fact that inclement monsoons will bring unforeseen miseries to women, children and every person who are dispossessed of their land. Surely the Bharatiya Janata Party has new priorities and it calls for accommodating the dead of Muslim community by making around 250 Hindu families homeless.

The Ambarnath Siva temple has around lakhs of devotees visiting Mahadev during festivities like during Sivaratri and the area demarcated as Muslim graveyard is used by devotees. There is a very likelihood that communal tensions will arise in the future as the land in vicinity of ancient temple is used by Muslims for burying dead and their own religious purposes.

The traitors are said to worser than enemies and when they stab from behind, the wounds are mortal. While backstabbed by Brutus, Caesar had said ” Et tu Brutus, then fall Caesar”

However the Hindu community are in no mood to fall or surrender. A new resistance has arisen, the revival has started. As the self proclaimed Hindu saviours and wannabe Hindu Popes of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has not opened their mouths and has kept themselves aloof from the burning issue, new Hindu youth are entering the fray to defend Sanatana Dharma and preserve the sanctity of our temples and the secure the lives of the Hindu families.

The question remains as to how long Hindu Samaj will allow themselves to be backstabbed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The wounds inflicted by Sangh on the Hindus of Kashmir where they sided with PDP separatists is still fresh in the minds of every Hindu.

Will Hindus allow their temples to be defiled and families to be rendered homeless? Or will Hindus demand answers from the traitors of the Bharatiya Janata Party who has sided with Muslims or from the leaders of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh who has refused to protect the sanctity of our temples? Will Hindus be able to fight the combined might of traitors within and the enemies outside?

Time will tell.

#ReclaimTemples