e n

Chhattisgarh: CM’s father sets out to build Buddha Vihar on son’s Ram trail

Nand Kumar Baghel says that people of Tumarkhurd were against the decision of the state government to build a Ram temple. That is the reason they have erected an Ashok Stambh and laid the foundation stone of a Buddha Vihar at the place designated for the temple

In the predominantly Adivasi Chhattisgarh state, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his father Nand Kumar Baghel seem to be headed for a confrontation. The chief minister wants to build Ram Van Gaman Path (Ram’s forest trail) in the state. However, his father is against the idea. On 18 May 2020, the senior Baghel visited Tumarkhurd village in Dhamtari district. With the help of the villagers, he removed the board put up by the state government designating the site for a Ram temple – one of the many on the proposed trail – and installed another board that says that a Buddha Vihar will be built. He also laid the foundation stone of Budhadev Ayurvedic Chikitsa Anusandhan Kendra (Budhadev Ayurvedic Medical Research Centre) at the site.

Tumakhurd is one of the 52 places in the state chosen by the government as part of the Ram Van Gaman Path with a view to boost tourism. 

Senior Baghel issued a formal press statement declaring that Budhadev Ayurvedic Chikitsa Anusandhan Kendra [Budhadev (Bada Dev in Gond tradition) Ayurvedic Treatment Research Centre] would be established at Tumarkhurd. The statement said that the foundation stone for the Kendra was laid on 18 May in the presence of members of Matdata Jagriti Manch and social activists. It said that Gond Tribals had long been demanding that a research centre be established for studying the herbs, roots, etc used by them for treatment. The statement also claimed that the Gond Tribals were part of the Indus Valley Civilization and were enslaved after the arrival of the Brahmins in India about 5,000 years ago. 

Nand Kumar Baghel along with residents of Tumarkhurd village at the laying of the foundation stone of the Buddha Vihar

Baghel has been running a cultural awareness campaign for the past two decades. He has also written a book titled Brahman Kumar Ravan Ko Mat Maro 

Also read: Chhattisgarh CM hunts for Ram’s footprints, upsets his father and others

Nand Kumar said that a large number of social activists, besides Gonds and other Tribals, were opposed to the decision of the state government to build a Ram-Laxman temple at Tumarkhurd and that is why they had put up a board saying that Buddha Vihar would be built there. 

Miniature idols of Ram and Laxman have been placed at the spot designated for the temple. Local tribals say that a stone column that stands at the spot symbolizes their ancestors.

Senior Baghel’s move has divided the people into two camps. Shyama Devi Sahu, a former member of the Dhamtari district Panchayat says, “I was not aware that Ram, along with his brother Laxman, had visited Tumarkhurd village. A spot in the village was known as Ram Tekri. Some time ago, a few researchers from Ayodhya came to the village and told us that Ram and Laxman had visited the place. It was after this that at my initiative, the place was identified under Ram Van Gaman Path scheme. On 18 May, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s father came here and held a meeting with the locals and installed the board for the Buddha Vihar. I have made a written complaint to the local administration in this regard.” 

R.N. Dhurve, national secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Gondwana Gond Mahasabha, said, “I was present in Tumarkhurd village on that day. Nand Kumar Baghel wants the Budhadev Ayurvedic Chikitsa Anusandhan Kendra to be established at the place where the government is keen to build a temple in the name of Ram Van Gaman Path. Baghel believes that the herbs and roots found in Bastar can be very useful in medical treatment. But research is needed to properly identify them. This can be done in consultation with the local administration. It will be in the interest of everyone. In any case, we have nothing to do with Hinduism. Moreover, the government has no evidence that Ram and Laxman had visited Tumarkhurd.” 

(Translation: Amrish Herdenia)

About The Author

Tameshwar sinha

Tameshwar Sinha is an independent journalist based in Chhattisgarh. He has focused on the struggles of the Adivasis in his articles published in various newspapers and magazines.

Related Articles

Uttar Pradesh: Those who turned Akhilesh against Swami Prasad Maurya ultimately ditched him
Not long ago, the likes of Manoj Pandey, Rakesh Pandey and Abhay Singh were pressurizing the SP leadership to somehow rein in Swami Prasad...
Mukesh Malod: Farmers’ movement in the interest of Dalits, the landless, too
‘If there is no government control, the onions for which the farmers are not getting a fair price will be sold for Rs 150...
In Dev Bhumi, enactment of UCC topped off with Haldwani violence
Hindutva was first invoked in this Dev Bhumi in 1994 – when it was still a part of Uttar Pradesh – to oppose the...
Jayant Singh and RLD in NDA: Who gains, who loses
The Congress may be the biggest beneficiary of RLD’s exit from the INDIA alliance, with the chances of a Congress-Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) alliance...
Prakash Ambedkar: Social justice, not Ram, will be key poll plank
“I feel that Modi has been caught in a bind. The way he is breaking up organizations, the way he is trying to splinter...