The Chateshwar temple in Cuttack district of Orissa shed its prejudice by opening its doors for Dalits on December 2. Led by veteran Gandhian Subba Rao, hundreds of Dalits, including sweepers, cleaners, night-soil collectors and leather tanners, joined the “Harijan padyatra” to reach the temple in Satyabhamapur where they were accorded a warm welcome by the temple authorities. Otherwise known as “ritually polluted”, the Harijans, mostly women, offered prayers and sang bhajans with their upper caste counterparts. “In the past, we had several rounds of talks with the temple committee but they were hesitant. Finally, we were able to convince them,” said Biswajit Ray, the ex-convener of the Rashtriya Yuva Sanghatan. Ray said Mahatma Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave visited the Puri Jagannath temple along with people of the minority community and the Dalits in 1934. However, despite their best efforts, the then Puri temple authorities did not allow Gandhiji’s entourage comprising Muslims, Christians and Dalits to enter the temple. Protesting the move, Gandhiji launched a “Harijan padyatra” from the temple’s Singhadwar. Gandhiji asked: “Why should there be any difference between men in a temple of God?”
NO BIAS AGAINST DALITS IN CHATESHWAR TEMPLE
NO BIAS AGAINST DALITS IN CHATESHWAR TEMPLE
