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Hindu Deities of Zafar Khan Ghazi Masjid

Article by Nayandeep

One must understand how important it is to know of the atrocities committed on Hindu civilization during the past by invading hordes of barbarians from Arabia. Without this knowledge we might remain ignorant and end up celebrating those who were responsible for the cruelty on our ancestors. The paradox stares at us, as many of our leaders end up sending Chadhars to the graves of Sufi extremists who presided over the mass murder of Hindu population. We fail to notice and learn the history behind the  defaced Gods and Goddesses in our ancestral temples and in those temples converted into mosques.

One such prime example is the Ghazi Zafar Khan Mosque near Calcutta in the town of Tribeni. It was a meeting point of three rivers Ganga, Jamuna and Saraswati. For the uninitiated ones the title Ghazi is given to an Islamic warrior who has slaughtered and destroyed the kaffirs. In this case it was an area and people around Tribeni who were slaughtered and the Vishnu temple located there which was converted to a Masjid.

Said to be built in 1298 AD in Tribeni Bengal, Ghazi Zafar Khan Mosque is regarded as the oldest mosque in the eastern India. Circumstances in which the mosque was constructed are aptly demonstrated in its dedicatory inscription, which was translated by H.Balochman a British officer who translated the inscription on Zafar  Khan’s tomb, it  clearly states “Khan the lion of lions has appeared by conquering the towns of India in every expedition and by restoring the decayed religious institutions. And he has destroyed the obdurate among the infidels with his sword and spear and lavished the treasures of his wealth in helping miserable”.

On a close inspection of the mosque one can clearly see the distinct Hindu architecture in the form of various Deities and lord Vishnu’s Dashavatar (ten forms) on the stone slab inside the mosque. The doorways of Zafar Khan’s tomb strongly resemble Hindu Vaishnava architecture. Many of the figures on the walls have their faces disfigured in order to hide the truth that the mosque is actually a Hindu temple.
A British officer D.Money of the Bengal civil services who had met with the Khadims(servents) of Ghazi Zafar Khan’s muesoleum in the year 1847 scanned some of the documents given to him by the Khadims, the documents clearly stated that Zafar Mohamed Khan along with his nephew shah Sufi came from western India to slay the infidels (Hindus) of Bengal and turn them to Islam. It mentions that Zafar Khan fought and converted local ruler Man Nirapati to Islam. It was the second battle with the ruler Budheb that the all conquering Ghazi met his fate by having his head chopped off and his torso buried in Tribeni.

There are many versions and folklore regarding this man Ghazi Khan and his mosque, in some folklore he is presented as a slayer of Hindus. In versions penned by Islamic historians he is however portrayed as a benevolent man who distributed his wealth to the poor.

While the folklore and different versions may contradict themselves but the fact on the ground remains that the once famous temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is now used as a mosque.
The truth is that the ancient Hindu temples which were a rallying point for the local population and centers of great architecture and learning were destroyed and taken over by Muslim invaders to finish off the oldest and the greatest civilization in the world. So we have to ponder over what keeps this civilization still alive in the face of destruction done centuries ago and the present disdain being heaped upon us by democratic governments.

The answer to this lies in the spirit of our illustrious ancestors who fought to defend our temples and our glorious heritage. Never has been invaders successful in conquering our nation and our temples, great wars were fought to reclaim our temples and restart worship of our Gods.

The same spirit now runs in the countless Dharmik warriors who dream of reclaiming our temples. All Hindu temples will no doubt be liberated from the encroachers and the due worship of Hindu Gods will be reinstated.

#ReclaimTemples

Image Credits: double-dolphin.blogspot.in

#LightALamp to revive our ancestral temples

The glory of Hindu civilisation is well evident in the magnificent temples and extra ordinary architectural skills imbibed in them. Many of these temples were centers of divine energy which helps the devotees during their various stages of life and even as cure for their maladies. The Hindu Gods and Goddesses consecrated at these temple sites were believed to have protected the people and the people in turn protected them.

However during the dark days of Islamic invasion of Bharat, lakhs of Hindu temples were destroyed across Bharat and they now lies in ruins as mute witness to the barbaricity of the invading hordes. Worse is the fact that many of these temple sites are abandoned by Hindus and even the customary rituals and Poojas are not done.

We have started #LightALamp initiative where we will be reviving worship in as many Hindu temples as possible, either in ruins or abandoned or neglected by the local population.

The revival will start with devotees lighting a lamp, as simple as an earthen lamp at the temple site. This can be done by anybody and accompanied by mantras if a person is well versed in it. The offering of fire to the Deity will rekindle the Divinity of the place and the revival of whole temple will happen in due time.

We have found that many often the people who are willing to restart Poojas and worship doesn’t have money or resources. To lend a helping hand and attempting to restart worship, we will be providing Rs. 2000 per month for 6 months for meeting expenses of temples where Poojas are not done, to ameliorate the difficulty faced and for starting worship in new temple sites. We believe that initial assistance will help individuals to restart worship at these abandoned ruins in his locality . And in another six months the devotees themselves can share the expenses and continue the Poojas.

We request you to support such initiative in your ancestral village or locality and contribute towards the same directly to the person reviving the worship. Together we can build #ReclaimTemples movement and ensure that no Hindu temple in Bharat lies abandoned, no Deity in Bharat is devoid of their due worship.

If you would like to connect us to such ancient temples which needs attention, please download our Android app via reclaimtemples.com/android and submit the details of the temple.

To become a volunteer in your district, please register with us via imojo.in/dharma

#ReclaimTemples

Mapping the Heritage monuments of Bharat

The land of Bharat was home to the most prosperous civilisation the world has ever seen. The remnants of this glorious civilisation now exists as ruins across Bharat. The magnitude of destruction that Hindu civilisation had suffered from Islamic invaders can be guaged from these ruins.

In our estimate, more than 2 lakh Hindu temples now exist in various stages of ruins and neglect and abandoned across the length and breadth of Bharat. The magnitude of the efforts required is huge and to make any change on the ground requires simultaneous work towards the revival of the Heritage monuments. The urgency is due to fact that slowly the Heritage monuments are getting destroyed, lost to Heritage thieves, vandalism, and encroachment by vested interests and even by Islamic and Christian fundamentalist organisations.

Keeping in view the efforts required, we have started off by mapping the Heritage monuments. The first phase was to map the structures under supervision of Archaeological Survey of India. We asked via RTI, the coordinates of monuments. But the response from the ASI revealed how lethargic and clumsy bureaucrats can virtually kill any reform envisaged under the RTI. ASI didn’t give us the coordinates.

We however decided to go ahead with mapping and secured the coordinates from publicly available sources and google maps. This was a task that required much manpower, and our volunteers command all the appreciation and respect in this regard.

We have released the initial map of Heritage monuments under ASI supervision as a google map and can be visited, downloaded via www.reclaimtemples.com/ASImap

The coordinates of some monuments secured from public sources are only accurate at the Tehsil level and needs further refining. This we are accomplishing gradually with help from volunteers.

Our next task involves mapping the Heritage monuments which are not under supervision of Archaeological Survey of India. For this, we are depending on crowd sourced efforts to locate the Heritage structures in their locality.

For easily submit the details and also to bring visibility to these Heritage monuments, we have developed an Android App ‘#ReclaimTemples Explore’ and released in Google Play Store. The app can be downloaded via https://reclaimtemples.com//android

We now depend on general public and Heritage enthusiasts to submit details of Heritage monuments in their locality. We will also be doing it via our volunteers.

The details submitted will be in public domain and slowly these unknown Heritage sites will get due publicity and attract visitors. We hope that the process will lead to rejuvenation of these Heritage sites and revival of worship will also happen at the ancestral Hindu temples now lying in ruins.

How you can contribute to Heritage of Bharat

  1. Download our Android App ‘#ReclaimTemples Explore’ from Google Play store. Click here
  2. Submit the details of atleast 10 Heritage sites in your locality via our App
  3. Share the App with atleast 10 friends and ask them to do same.
  4. Become a volunteer for the project by registering via imojo.in/dharma
  5. Donate to the project via instamojo.com/@ReclaimTemples

Success ahead

#ReclaimTemples

 

Intellectual Kshatriyas of tomorrow

The 1980s was a time of resurgence of Hindu religion and culture. The Ramjanmabhumi agitation had fired up the minds of many, and hundreds of thousands of Hindus braved the bullets to build a temple for Lord Sriram.

It was also the time of resurgence of intellectualism amongst Hindus. There were a group of individuals, who found the need to research on topics neglected for long and spread the truth of the history of Bharat. They did what nobody had done before to provide the intellectual base and momentum for a movement they thought will rebuild Hindu Rashtra.

Amongst the intellectuals of that time, SitaRam Goel, Ram Swarup and Koenraad Elst stand out among the rest. What made them stalwarts were their commitment to original research and truth. They did extra ordinary work to find the truth of the matter by going through historical documents, Mughal court records and other historically significant works. Of them Sitaram Goel visited medieval era Masjids across Bharat and collected evidences of them being Hindu temples.

The towering work and commitment of the sort would have earned them laurels and recognition. But what they gained was neglect and also banishment by various organisations. As a result the intellectualism in the Hindu society that promotes original Dharmik thoughts subsided, and propagandists took their place.

This is an attempt to revive the concept of Intellectual Kshatriya amongst Hindus. We are looking to nurture the best minds, who can think originally, analytically and has the courage to speak and write what they found by hard research and facts. The Intellectual Kshatriyas would have the answers to Leftist and British historians and archaeologists who corrupted history of Bharat to suit their interests.

Over the course of time we will partnering with various organisations, individuals to promote the intellectualism and nurture them. We intend to give scholarship and honorariums to best minds and offer them a ecosystem to present and evolve their thoughts and research.

Prayaan Scholarship on Indic Studies and Heritage

Prayaan Foundation is offering one time award of Rs. 10,000 to those who present original research papers on Indic Heritage. The topics available are

  1. Indo Saracenic architecture, the evolution of domes and arches
  2. Identifying the truth about Hindu Muslim architecture

The papers can be submitted via http://bit.ly/2DDsXtq

Research Articles on ReclaimTemples.com website

We welcome research articles on topic of Islamic destruction of Hindu temples to be published on our website www.reclaimtemples.com . The best articles will be given a honorarium of Rs. 3,000

The articles may be submitted via http://bit.ly/2GHBXko

We value the time and efforts that need to be spend for the research work, and have instituted the scholarship and honorarium so that it will help in procuring the needed resources and will benefit the researchers.

And we hope that Intellectual Kshathriyas will rise who will have the courage and conviction and capability to record the true history of Bharat, devoid of any propaganda to suit anyone.

#ReclaimTemples
“Dharm Ka Saath, Adharm Ka Vinaash”

RudraMahalaya, awaiting revival of worship

Article by Nayandeep

As they say truth needs a big cover for the lie to prosper. In the case of Hindu temples, the wanton destruction, conversion to mosques and cover of time as it passed was used to propagate the superiority of Islam over the infidels. What was unmatched in beauty of architecture and construction was destroyed, mutilated and converted into what the invaders wanted the history to remember.

But truth cannot be long hidden, history shows of the strange manners in which truth resurfaced. Minor repair works, accidental discoveries and excavations have resulted in a large no of temples being discovered beneath new structures which were constructed to destroy a glorious civilization. It might have succeeded in other places but in a country which never gave up fighting and where entire Vedas are memorised verbally, nothing could destroy it.

One such wonder of our time is Rudra Mahalaya of Sidhpur, Gujarat now known as Jami Masjid after its destruction and take over by the invading Muslim hordes. Rudra Mahalaya is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Siva. It was constructed by Chalukyas, started in 943 AD by Mularaja and completed in 1140 AD by Jayasimha Siddharaja. It’s grandeur can be gouged from the fact that even Sultan Ahmad Shahs historians in the book Mirat e Sikandari wrote of the idols inside the Rudra Mahalaya which they said could put the idols of China and Khotan to shame. It clearly states that by the efforts of Sultan and his General Ulugh Khan, Rudra Mahalaya was rid of the idols.

Famous Historian Sita Ram Goel in his book “Hindu Temples what happened to them” has given an incident when Maharaja Jaswant Singh was appointed Governor of Gujarat in 1658, his historian Munhata Nai Nasi made a visit and in his words Sidhpur had lost the spiritual glory and importance during the centuries which followed after its destruction. According to him Sidhpur was founded by Siddharao, who named the place after himself and invited one thousand Brahmans well versed in Vedas to settle there and granted 700 villages around Siddhpur to them. The temple was destroyed by the Sultan Alauddin and many Brahmans were massacred, still some portion of it survived only to be attacked by the next invading horde.

BL Nagarach an expert archaeologist further states that during excavation he found “a standing idol of an Apsara”, “four armed Varuna” and a “two armed female deity holding a sword and a cut head”. Even a layman can tell that mosques do not have idols inside them, unless otherwise the mosque is a Hindu temple under siege. It is pertinent to note that the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) report of the year 1979-80 published in 1983 stated finding Hindu and Jain pantheons stretching back to the 10th century. In one of his chapters Nai Nasi had included a poem by poet Lalla bhat praising the Rudra Mahalaya, Lalla Bhatt says “18000 statues studded with diamonds and 30000 flag staffs with carved stems and gold leaves and thousands of sculpted horses and elephants stand in attendance before the Rudra”

In a nation where even reclaiming the birth place of Lord Rama is still a far thought, there are thousands more temples of our ancestors looking at each of us and waiting for us to to build a collective resolve and come out of our complacency of centuries and simply reclaim what was always ours.

As the famous saying goes a closed room is only in dark as long as no one opens a window and let’s the sun in. We all collectively can open these windows and let in the “Sun” whom we worship. Let it purify centuries of neglect and shine on our great legacy. Time to revive our Heritage, our Civilisation and our Dharma.

#ReclaimTemples

Punarutthana of abandoned Hindu temples

Karnataka was once part of Vijayanagara empire, which successfully safeguarded the saffron flames of Dharma for close to three centuries. Also the Kakatiyas and countless other Hindu kingdoms ruled this illustrious land of Bharat, blessed by countless sacred rivers.

The might, prosperity and grandeur of the Hindu kingdoms which ruled Karnataka and nearby regions is very evident in the Hindu temples they constructed and bequeathed to next generations. The temples are known for their exquisite grandeur, intricately carved pillars and idols which had eyes of precious gems.

The plunder and loot of these temples stripped the Gods of their possessions, and many of the idols now we find in museums in foreign lands. The abode of these Gods fell into abandon and ruin as the Presiding Deity of the temple was taken away and sold in black markets by thieves.

Its is estimated that around 70,000 Hindu Heritage monuments exist in Karnataka alone. And needless to say the State Archaeology Department and Archaeological Survey of India is ill equipped to preserve them, leave alone renovate them.

At this juncture of doom, was started the #ReclaimTemples project in Karnataka by Girish Bharadwaja and other Dharmik warriors. They took the lead and started organising the local Hindu community to revive the Hindu temples now lying abandoned and in ruins.

The sincerity of their efforts saw people joining the project and leading from the front. #SundayForDharma campaign where every Hindu is asked to devote atleast one Sunday for Shramdaana and revival of ancestral temples in their locality is being embraced by people from all walks of life. The result is for all to see, as people started working for Dharma beyond the narrow confines of caste or organisational identities.

The revival of Hindu temples is happening at never seen before pace, and two ancient Hindu temples were reclaimed and revived in less than 2 months.

Rummanagudu Shri Neelakanteshwara Temple temple in Kalaburagi Karnataka was revived and NandiMurthy was consecrated and worship restarted.

Another temple revived was Rukmini Panduranga temple at Kalaburagi Karnataka. The consecration of the idols brought a festive cheer in the villages and HinduSamaj united in welcoming the Deities back to the temple.

 

Bharata Punarutthana Trust registered in Bangalore is leading the activities. The updates about the activities can be tracked via the twitter handles @punarutthana and @GirishVHP

Donations can be made via https://www.instamojo.com/@bpt.

To join the activities on ground, please register via imojo.in/dharma or call #ReclaimTemples toll free number 18002002805

Cheriyamundam Vaniyanur Siva temple Malappuram

Cheriyamundam is a village in Malappuram district of Kerala where the Hindus are only 11.83% of the population as per the 2011 Census of Bharat. The economically backward situation of Hindus is compounded by pervasive and aggressive display of Islamic extremism in the locality by organisations and individuals who follow the doctrine propagated by ISIS. The result being that the Hindu community is forced to restrict their religious rights and freedom of worship.

Cheriyamundam Vaniyanur Siva temple was destroyed by Muslim rioters in 1921 Moplah riots. The land belonging to the temple was taken over and the whole temple was demolished in due course by Jihadis.

However no amount of desecration could affect the divinity of the Presiding Deity of the temple. The Jihadis of the locality were terrified when calamities started happening in their lifes, on their families and loved ones. An instance very vivid in the minds of the locals is when Jihadis slaughtered a cow in Vaniyanur temple site and served the beef during the marriage . The bride turned mad the next day and started crawling on ground like snakes. Terrified Jihadis it is said did a small Puja as a penance, and has abandoned the site and took care not to defile it again.

As part of the #ReclaimTemples project, the temple is now being reconstructed. The project is embraced by the people of the locality who have come together to resurrect their temple and restart worship of Lord Siva. A new vigour and confidence has descended on HinduSamaj of the region, as the very thought of reviving a destroyed Hindu temple after close to one century inspires them.

The revival was started on first week of January 2018. Swamy Bharati Maharaj, Managing Trustee of Bharat KshethraBhumi SamrakshanaVedhi lighted a lamp and marked restart of the Pujas at the Siva temple on 11 Jan 2018.

However the temple was ransacked again on 11 Jan night and the lamps, Pooja items were dumped in nearby well. The temple was also desecrated. However contrary to what the attackers must have imagined, the Hindu community of the region showed remarkable courage and thousands visited the site next day 12 Jan and took pledge to rebuild temple at any cost.

A committee was formed to oversee construction of temple and also a MathruSamithi was formed to oversee administration of temple. DevaPrashnam a ritual marking the rebuilding the temple was conducted on 5 Feb 2018. The Temple architect and Chief Priest visited temple and have designed plans for reconstruction of temple.

First a temporary office cum store room was constructed in the temple site. This enables the safe keep of Pooja items as well as construction tools.

As advised by the Thanthri and the temple architect the first step was cleaning the well of the temple. It was also foretold that the temple idols were broken down and dumped into the well long ago.

Parts of temple which was destroyed and dumped into well

 

Piles of stones near the well are recovered from inside the well. Reveals the mindset of those who destroyed the temple

The excavation of the well was a hard task as the person had to make sure that they dont damage any idols which was to be recovered from the well. Also huge stones and temple pillars were being found in the well. Some of them weighing few tones were difficult to be taken out using manual labour. And at many such instances the excavation process slowed as devotees found difficult to remove the stones from well. Ultimately crane had to be brought to take out the huge stones.

And as the temple architect had predicted, an idol of Goddess was recovered from the well. The idol from its characters belonged to the Chola era and the character was that of a benevolent Goddess. The recovery of the Goddess idol caused a rethink over the temple architecture as now, the architect has to design a sanctum for the Goddess aswell in addition to Lord Shiva.

Broken idol of Goddess which was recovered from temple well

It was also decided to complete excavation till bedrock of the well, in hope that more such idols will be discovered. The excavation of the well is almost complete and next stage is the construction of the temporary abodes for Lord Shiva and the Goddess.

The updates on revival of Cheriyamundam Vaniyanur Siva temple can be tracked via

The reconstruction of the temple is made possible only due to support given by Hindus from across the world.

You can join the reconstruction of the temple by supporting the fundraiser via ket.to/kl001

Ultimate objective of the #ReclaimTemples project is to ensure the survival of HinduDharma  and rebuild 300 Hindu temples in Malappuram by year 2021. These temples were destroyed during Tipu invasion and various Moplah riots ever since.

We have to act before its too late. The Hindus in Malappuram are courageous and will fight till their last breath. What they lack in is only resources to fight an enemy equipped with slush funds from Middle East and other Jihadi havens.

Lets join hands to protect HinduDharma and strengthen it, thereby prevent Kerala from becoming another Kashmir.

#ReclaimTemples

Dharmik Revival in Malappuram

Malappuram district in Kerala is now often regarded as the next Kashmir, where the calls of Jihad permeates the air many times a day. Abduction of Hindu women, killing of Hindu youth, desecration of temples, encroachment of temple land have become the new normal.

However Malappuram is also the sacred land of Hindus, where the HinduSamaj once worshiped the most powerful Deities. The typical worship prevalent in Malappuram made the temples famous all over Bharat and people came to pray and as cure for many maladies.

 

The sacred land of Hindus also attracted the most ruthless of all Islamists invaders HyderAli and his son TipuSultan. The many invasions of Malappuram starting from 1766 AD was fought fiercely by the warrior clans of Malappuram. But the cruelty and attacks on women and children by Islamist forces resulted in blackmail and victory in many instances.

What followed during the Mysorean invasion was loot, plunder and destruction of Hindu temples, and unspeakable atrocities on Hindu women. More than 10,000 Hindu temples were estimated to be destroyed during invasion of Tipu Sultan alone. The Jihad against Hindu Dharma were continued by those left behind by his army and their descendants. The Jihad termed as Mappilah riots repeated every years from the Tipu invasion and culminated in the most gruesome riots of 1921. More than 5000 Hindu temples were estimated to be destroyed in Moplah riots of 1921; more than 10,000 Hindu men murdered for not converting to Islam; and close to one lakh Hindus forced to flee. The nature of atrocities on Hindu women can be gauged by the below as recorded in the book Malabar Rebellion 1921.

“A respectable Nayar lady at Metatur was stripped naked by the rebels in the presence of her husband and brothers, who were made to stand close by with their hands tied behind. When they shut their eyes in abhorrence, they were compelled at the point of the sword to open their eyes and witness the rape committed by these brutes in their presence.”[21]

The riots in Malappuram repeated in 1947 during Partition of Bharat and also in 1992 during RamMandir agitation which saw more attacks on Hindu temples.

The situation now is no different. HinduSamaj is now facing an enemy resourceful with cash to burn, men ready to die for Jihad and an administration remaining as mute witness to the extremism perpetuated in name of religion. The abduction of Hindu women continues unabated, the ideologies of ISIS is professed openly in public, Hindu youth are killed in open streets.

However not all is gloom, as was started an attempt to revive Hindu Heritage by those unwilling to surrender and determined to reclaim everything that belonged to our forefathers. The  #ReclaimTemples movement in Malappuram has committed and fearless volunteers reviving the very temples destroyed by Jihadis and organising the Hindu community around these temples. Many of these temples are in places where Hindu population are only around 10% or lesser.

Religious fanatics have openly declared that they will convert Malappuram to an Islamic State by year 2021 and celebrate the 100th anniversary of Moplah riots. Our answer to the same is that whatever the temples destroyed till date will be revived by 2021 and the land of our Gods will also be reclaimed from the encroachers.

We have started by rebuilding Cheriyamundam Vaniyannur Siva temple. The details and the progress of efforts can be accessed via link www.ket.to/kl001

Another temples that is being revived is Alathiyur Subrahmanya Swamy temple in Tirur Malappyram, Kerala. The details and the progress of efforts can be accessed via link www.ket.to/kl002

The revival of each temple is an elaborate process where the entire rituals as mentioned in Tantra shastra and Shilpa Shastras are followed in its entirety. So that means that revival of one temple should not wait for another to be completed. Especially when there are more than 300 Hindu temples waiting to be revived and rebuilt in Malappuram district of Kerala alone. As such UgraNarasimha Charitable Trust is embarking on an ambitious project to start simultaneous revival of all the Hindu temples presently lying in ruins in Malappuram district of Kerala. The objective is to rebuild all the temples in another three years.

The process involves volunteers travelling through the remote locations collecting details of the destroyed ancient Hindu temples, its history and other details. The next process is to organise the devotees and form a committee to be part of the revival of the temple. Next is the Devaprashnam, drawing temple design , construction by Sthapathi with knowledge of the particular type of construction.

For the purpose we are forming a Temple Renovation Fund exclusively for construction and revival of ancient Hindu temples. You may donate to the fund and also request others to do so. The details are as below

Name: UgraNarasimha Charitable Trust

Account Number: 6300101001374

IFSC: CNRB0006300

Bank: Canara Bank Thondayad Branch

You may also donate via our payment gateway https://imojo.in/renovation

We need your support as we rebuild and revive close to 300 Hindu temples from their ruins, organise the Hindu community and reestablish Dharma in this sacred land of our forefathers and the Abode of Hindu Gods. All the Hindu temples in Malappuram district will be restored to their pristine glory and fighting spirit of HinduSamaj will be rekindled in this process.

#ReclaimTemples

Ancient Kalagi temples of Karnataka, now in ruins

Article by @para_praveen

Kalaburagi, Karnataka.

The 2nd century Kaleshwara temple becomes cynosure of all the eyes during the important VeeraShaiva festivals, particularly Mahashivaratri and thousands of devout hindus throng the temple to have the darshan of the ancient linga installed inside the once beautiful temple.But in the eyes of the Archeological Survery of India (ASI) or the State Archeology Department, this temple, considered to be one of the ancient Hindu temples is a non existent once.

The present; kalagi” known as “Kaluge” in an ancient inscriptions; is 40 kms away from Kalaburagi. It has a temple complex of Chalukyan period. Kalagi was popularly known then as the garden of temples. Kalagi in the seventh century was a well-developed rich city with a population of more than three lakhs –according to the historians. There are more than 30 monuments in and around the Kalagi village. So far eleven inscriptions are reported from this place. Most of the temples belonged to the Shaiva style; of them Bibbeshwara, Gonkeshwara, Jayalingeshwara, Kaaleshwara and Someshwara according to inscriptions found here and now called these temples in different names.

Kalagi is famous for the rare set of Shivalingas in India, which are housed in Kaleshwar temple. According to a legend, these lingas are arranged in four floors, one beneath the other. Presently devotees can see Kaleshwar linga installed on the ground floor. The other lingas beneath the ground are said to be ‘agochara’ invisible. These lingas were consecrated in Krithayuga. Someshwar linga in Trethayuga, Neelakanteshwara linga in Dwaparayuga and Kaleshwar linga in Kaliyuga.

An ancient Suryanarayana temple is on the verge of collapse due to lack of conservation. The temple is considered to be one of the rare shrines and the portion of the side walls of the Suryanarayana temple has already fallen down and roots of the tress that had grown wildly around the shrine can be seen. The ceiling as well as the wall that makes the rare elevation is in a dilapidated state owing to absence of maintenance. The inscriptions were carved between 1043 AD and 13 th Century according to research scholars. The inscriptions on Suryanarana temple and Kaleshwara temple in Kalagi is a standing testimony to the existence of famous kings namely Jayakarna son of the sixth vikramaditya, king Jagadekamalla of Kalyan chalukyas.

Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti peetham visited Kalagi in 1982 and made his stay here for eight days. It was a centre for political, educational, cultural and religious, also a capital city of Mahamandaleshwar of baana dynasty during 12 th century. There are numerous Shivalinga in all most all temples in Kalagi. Outside the temples, beautifully carved inscriptions of Brahma, Vishnu,Ishwar,Bhairav,Nataraj,Uma-Mahashwar, Mahisha-Mardini, Ganesh can be seen.

 

A Pushkarni (traditional stepwell with natural springs) is also seen nearby Narasimha and Ishwar temple on the bay of Kalagi stream. A few jain basatis are also in panic condition. These Monuments have enriched the culture of the country, but have not been noticed by many. The need is to catch the attention of research scholars, historians and archaeological experts. Now it is necessary that the Archaeology department and tourism department together have to prepare a plan for development of the forgotten cultural splendour and historic monuments of the Kalagi ruins.

Now it is upto HinduSamaj to get the act together for conservation of the Heritage. The structures are crumbling fast, it may have only a few years left unless the Hindu community renovates and revives worship at the temple site.

#ReclaimTemples

Heritage Squads in districts across Bharat

Over past two year, we have spent considerable efforts in research documentation and also floated few organisations for ground level interventions. The support we received from everyone was overwhelming. The social media was highly supporting of the #ReclaimTemples project, so was the HinduSamaj in various districts who were eagerly waiting for a ray of hope and a helping hand to save them from the situations of despair.

Our experience for past two years tell us that time is now for mass movement to protect the Heritage Hindu temples across Bharat. The #ReclaimTemples project will be implemented in a highly decentralized, highly localized manner with decision making and driving force in the locality where the struggles happen to protect our Heritage structures.

The movement will involve forming Heritage Squads in each district of Bharat. Like minded individuals can come together for this project. The core concern of the Heritage Squads will be the Hindu Heritage sites lying abandoned in the neighborhood.

There are various activities which can be taken up.

Conservation: Wherever the team has located the Hindu Heritage temple in ruins its absolutely essential to talk and bring the local Hindu community on board. A committee of local Hindu society may be formed for upkeep and maintenance of the Heritage ruins.

The main activity involves forming a team of committed individuals in your locality and leading the cleaning up and conservation efforts of Heritage Hindu temples. The activity may be planned over weekends or any day convenient to the group. The events planned can be published in social media using hashtag #ReclaimTemples, so that people all over Bharat can track the efforts on this front and also share widely motivating others also to join.

An independent trust or society can be formed in due time to take forth the efforts in the region and also for financing the expenses incurred. The efforts are localised, so should be the people involved. Include everyone who considers the efforts and objectives important and can join the same than indulge in meaningless legalistic debates.

Research: Around two lakh Hindu Heritage sites remain abandoned across Bharat. Many of these sites dont exists in official records, and there is no clue in official records of its history.

Research part involve locating such sites, photographing it, uploading it on Google Maps, document its history via blogs or articles.

You can submit the details of destroyed and Heritage temples in your locality via this form 

Litigation: Bharat was truly the DevBhumi where Gods owned the lands. Hindu Kings of past donated thousands of hectares of land for upkeep of temple and Deity. The degeneration of temples was followed by usurping of the temple lands by vested interests. Many such lands were taken over even by Waqf and even by Church.

The tasks invovles checking the revenue records in the villages where the temple ruins exist, collect legal evidences of the land belonging to the temples, and start litigation over the title of land.

Evidences may also be collected using RTI and other legal means, good data exists in court records, British government records, as well as various surveys conducted by British government.

Awareness Campaigns: All efforts on your side to revive our Heritage should be published on social media using hashtag #ReclaimTemples. We are keeping track of the cyber space and will record and give publicity to such initiative across Bharat.

Epilogue

Our nation has withstood 1000 years of relentless assault, now is the time to regain whatever we lost. HinduSamaj has waited close two 4 years expecting various politicians they elected to act on Hindu interests, neglect and disdain is all that we got. Our Heritage is very important for survival of Hindu Dharma. Its the duty of every one of us to lead the efforts, not only for one organisation, leader or even the government.

The situation on ground is humongous for any government to manage. Only Hindu Samaj can lead this struggle for revival of Hindu civilization and make it a success.

Join now

You can register as a volunteer via link imojo.in/dharma

The survival of Hindu Dharma depends on our ability to fight alone when needed and also forming a group who can fight together for protecting Dharma.

Success ahead.