Telangana BJP MLA demands ASI to remove dargah from centuries-old Jogulamba temple

Amid the ongoing Gyanvapi Mosque row, a fresh controversy has erupted as Telangana BJP leaders are objecting to the presence of a dargah inside the popular Jogulamba temple complex that is located at Alampur in south Telangana. Telangana BJP MLA Raja Singh Lodh has written to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and raised the issue of a dargah created in the temple premises. He further demanded the immediate removal of the non-Hindu religious construction or else "the BJP will do the needful after forming government in Telangana in 2023."

In the letter, Singh said that Jogulamba Temple is one of the old Hindu temples dedicated to Goddess Jogulamba, a form of Shakti located in Jogulamba Gadwal district's Alampur. The temple is considered the fifth among the 18 (Ashtadasa) Shakti peethas in the country. Built in the Chalukayan style of architecture, the temple is centuries-old and sits near the confluence of Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers along the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border. 

In the letter, the BJP floor leader said, "It is observed that, long back there is a Darga appeared all of the sudden in the temple premises and a Kaman constructed overnight. But, there is no action initiated by the Government Departments for the illegal encroachment into Hindu religious temple."

"In view of the above, it is requested the benevolent authority to kindly look into the matter and remove the Non-Hindu religious constructions in the respect for Hindus in the Secular India, as the temple is being under the control of Archaeological Survey of India," he concluded. 

'Getting Bulldozer Ready'

After posting the letter on Twitter, BJP MLA Raja Singh also posted a video showing the structures at the temple complex. He captioned the video, "We will not allow illegal encroachments like Dargah and Masjid to remain in the courtyard of our Hindu temples, I request the Telangana government to remove this encroachment as soon as possible, otherwise you know very well what we will do with it when our government comes in 2023. 'Getting Bulldozer Ready.'"

The Jogulamba temple is located in the same complex where the Navabrahma temples that were built in 7th and 8th centuries are located. It was included for development under the Centre's Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD). After the Telangana formation, the TRS-led government decided to split the Mahboobnagar district and named the area as Jogulamba-Gadwal district.

Image: Facebook/@rajasinghofficial, Twitter/@TigerRajaSingh/