Harohalli Ram temple proposal faces opposition from Dalits

Time of India

5 days ago

Mysuru: Like Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, where land disputes delayed the construction of the Ram Mandir for decades, the proposed Ram temple in Harohalli village, Mysuru taluk, known for providing the Krishnashila stone used for the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya, is now stuck in a land dispute.
While the Dalit family to which the land belongs, formed a trust to construct a Ram temple, a few Dalit organisations are opposing it. They cite the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands) Act, which prohibits using land owned by Dalits for religious purposes. They allege that the Ram temple in the village serves no purpose, and claim that it will be an anti-Dalit act.
According to Ramadas' family who own the land, they formed the Balarama Shilodbhava Kshetra (BRSK) trust to build the Ram Mandir on their land where the Krishna Shila was found. Retired teacher and landowner H Ramadas and his wife Jayamma are the founder trustees of the trust, while their son HR Rangaswamy is the president of the trust. "It has five members, including a secretary and treasurer," explained Rangaswamy to TOI.
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"Last Friday (May 23), we wanted to start the carving of Ram's idol using the same piece of Krishna Shila. Sculptor Arun Yogiraj agreed to carve an idol for the temple. A flag hoisting ceremony to mark the start of the temple works was also planned. We invited Pejawar Mutt seer Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swami, Mysuru MP Yaduveer Wadiyar, local MLA GT Devegowda, and Arun Yogiraj for the event," explained Rangaswamy.
"However, on the eve of the event, we were informed that a few people wanted to disrupt the event, and we decided not to confront them as this is a sacred work.
So we cancelled the event to ensure that guests would not face any embarrassment," explained Rangaswamy.
"We want to build a temple with devotion. This is the time to bring all humans together," he said.
According to locals, the banners and buntings of the event were torn out in protest against the construction of the temple.
However, a section of Dalit leaders justified the opposition to the Ram Mandir. They are demanding an educational institute instead of a temple. Senior Dalit functionary and former Mysuru mayor K Purushottam said landowner Ramadas became a teacher because of the Constitution. His children got a good education because of the Constitution. Building a temple on land owned by a Dalit family is against the PTCL Act, he said.
"We fear that this temple may be used to spread superstitious belief among people. So we are opposing it," he added.