Gates of Ram Temple in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma Opened for CRPF Jawans After 21 Years

Sukma: While the devotees had to wait for five hundred years for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, similarly, there is a village in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, affected by Naxalism, where the devotees had to wait for 21 long years for the gates of Ram temple to open. 

After the Naxalites' orders, the gates were closed in 2003 for worship, but after the CRPF 74th battalion set up camp, the officers and jawans got them opened.

We are talking about the highly Naxal-affected Lakhapal and Keralapenda villages of Sukma district, where about five decades ago, marble statues of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and Lord Lakshman were installed by building a temple. But gradually, due to the increasing influence of Naxalism, the worship in Ram temple located in the village was stopped in 2003, after which the doors remained completely closed.

The story of the establishment of Ram temple

The villagers gave information about how the ancestors of the village got the temple built when the temple was established by Bihari Maharaj in 1970. The entire village brought cement/stones/gravel/bars on their heads from Sukma, about 80 km on foot at that time and got the temple built, in which all the people of the village participated enthusiastically. In those days there used to be no roads. Neither was there availability of vehicles to bring the goods. It was the faith in Lord Ram that the villagers brought the required goods by walking long distances.

Also, after the establishment of the temple, there was a complete ban on meat and liquor in the village. It is said that after the establishment of the temple, the entire area and the entire village became devotees of Lord Ram and almost all the villagers took the Kanthi. After wearing the Kanthi, one can neither eat meat nor consume liquor. 

Whereas in the tribal area, where the entire village consumes meat and liquor/alcohol made of 'mahua,' it is said that everyone has given up meat and liquor. Even today, about 95% of the men and women in this village do not consume them. In the same heavily Naxal-affected area, the people here never liked the Naxals in terms of their worship and conduct. The reason for this was that they used to stay away from violence. For not getting support from the Naxals, they forcibly banned worship around 2003.

A grand fair attended by saints and sages from Ayodhya...

The villagers said that decades back, a grand fair used to be held here, in which saints and sages used to come from Ayodhya including people from far-off villages. 

According to them, many devotees used to come here from Jagdalpur as well. However, due to the increasing Naxal infestation and the Naxals stopping the worship, all the events stopped completely. According to the information received, due to the pressure of Naxalites, worship stopped here and the fair also stopped. 

Later, Naxalites allegedly desecrated this temple and locked it. A priest in this village with 25 houses, used to worship and take care of this temple. But after the Naxalite order, worship stopped in the temple, and as a result of this, its condition became dilapidated.

Jawans opened the doors after 21 years

After the CRPF 74th battalion camp was set up, to create an energy of faith in the people of the village and to connect them to the mainstream of the country, the officers and soldiers along with the villagers got the temple cleaned. The doors were opened and most of the men and women of the village participated in the worship.