The eviction drive at Puri reached the historic Emara Matha today. The matha which stands as a testimony of Ramanujacharya's arrival at Puri and his influence on the traditions of the temple is not only a heritage building but also a sacred place of worship for Vaishnavas 
The matha which is believed to have been established by the disciples of Ramanujacharya and derives its name from Embar the cousin brother of Ramanujacharya. It is widely believed to be the place where Ramanujacharya stayed during his stint at Puri.
The matha has been involved in various social activities apart from being the supervisor of rituals at Srimandira. While Puri Shankaracharya is famous worldwide as protector of dharma at SriKshetra not many know that Emara Matha acharya was the spiritual guardian of the temple
During the 1866 famine, Emara Matha fed the entire town of Puri and pilgrims arriving to have the darshan of Jagannatha. Even provisions required to cook Prasada for Annabrahma Jagannatha swamy was supplied by Emara Matha when british govt denied it citing famine as a reason
The matha was also the patron of odia during British Raj. The first odia dictionary in Purna Chandra Bhasakosa was published using the funds provided by the Emara matha.
When British Raj forced Gajapati to stop spending money on the security of the temple, it was Emara Matha which provided security by paying salaried for the guards appointed at the Srimandira. But today the existence of the sama matha has become a security threat as per the govt
The Emara Matha which is a huge premises right opposite the gates of Srimandira has been a target for politicians across spectrum considering its real estate value.
A few years back, the mahant of the matha was jailed for several months along with his son under the pressure of 3-4 powerful politicians across the parties in Odisha. The police even had the son of mahant terribly beaten in front of his eyes asking him to hand over the property
But both father and son withstoof this brutal violation of human rights and as a result the entrance of the matha which was promoted as a heritage structure by govt of Odisha during the Nabakalebara yatra of 2015 was demolished by the same state government machinery
The OHRCE derecognized the mahant and declared him as an usurper of his own matha. The mahant kept on fighting against this blatant injustice in various courts keeping the vultures away from this sacred place of vaishanvas
But the depletion of finances as a result of this derecognization by OHRCE started to take its toll on the matha. As a result the matha which was famous for its annadana and fed ppl across castes and creed during famine had to stop its annadana.
More than this, the saddest part is that Hindus of Puri who owe their culture, language, railways, telephone and even their beloved SRIMANDIRA to this matha fell for the "outsider" tag given to this matha by the state govt and kept quiet against this grave injustice
Today when the JCBs reached the entrance of the matha with a huge batallion of police and commandos, the Mahant locked up his door saying, " I wont move from the place of my guru Ramanuja".
He went inside sat before the shrine of his guru established by his ancestors and didnt move even when the police threatened that they will move the JCBs on the functioning matha premises
But the Mahant who had made up his mind to live or die with the place of his guru didnt budge for this threats as a result of which they had to leave the matha without demolishing it
Many people are busy talking about the human rights violation in the land of Kashmir. But not even one person is seen speaking about this forceful eviction of 10s of mathas which are the living testimony of the great souls who walked on this land
The eviction drive will continue tomorrow. The same JCBs will make a reappearance. The mahant can be even physically assaulted to have him out of the premises. As a follower of Ramanuja Sampradaya i can only cry.
The Supreme Court in a petition filed by me on behalf of @indiccollective had fallen for the lies of Odisha govt and asked the Amicus curiae to check the status on ground without granting a stay. Politicians across the spectrum have denied any help when reached out.
People who rush to visit Jagannath during elections don't care about the pain of his devotees. But will hindus across the country listen to the tears of acharya Ramanuja?
Can someone explain the logic by which a less than 75 years old state apparatus has termed a 900 year old construction as "unauthorized"? naidunia.com/national-emmar…
Promotion of a structure's unique architectural style to increase inflow of tourists and gain revenue. Demolition of the very same structure to usurp the land in which its stands. Both done by the same government.
Raghunandan Library, established by the Mahant of Emar Matha in 1921, to promote Odia literature has been totally demolished today. The odia folks who claimed that "outsiders" are occupying the land didn't seem to understand that it housed many centuries old Odia manuscripts.
The Mahant of Emar Matha is still sitting inside the hall before the shrine of Ramanujacharya and has refused to move away from the matha. As a result the JCBs started demolishing the rear parts of the matha which were empty.
But they were not successful as the matha is built with very strong ancient rocks which are withstanding the assault of JCBs.
Moreover, the Mahant also refused to sign the papers accepting the demolition and asked one of his aides to arrange for filing of a petition in the case filed by @indiccollective at the Supreme court showcasing the lies submitted by the govt's lawyer at the court
But the police batallion guarding the matha is not allowing this aide who had come out to take printout of the vakalatnama back inside the matha to get the signature of the mahant. Moreover they have also disconnected the mobile phone network in the vicinity.
As a result we were unable to reach the mahant today and missed the deadline for the filing of this petition of the mahant. So the state has got time till monday for completing this demolition
Tomorrow, the Punjabi Matha established by Guru Nanak is scheduled for demolition.
Mahant Rajagopal Ramanuja Das. If any structure of religious significance survives this onslaught of demolition drive by secular state, the entire credit should be given to this soul
So mathas of religious and cultural significant are being demolished to have wide roads for laying carpets? Who visits a temple for red carpet treatment?
So I am now an unholy element just coz i cared about religious importance of these mathas associated. If all mahants were cooperating then what was the need to send batallions of riot police? Must praise you and your govt for blatantly lying in SC & public
Significance*
So the Odisha govt wants the Mahant of Emar Matha which provided shelter to thousands during various calamities to live in a CONTAINER. They are not even ready to provide him accomodation somewhere else during the demolition drive.
Despite this @Naveen_Odisha and his sidekicks like @Amar4Odisha want us to believe that this unjust demolition is a service to the Supreme Lord Jagannatha. #SaveEmaraMatha
How unfortunate it is that Puri's sacred Punjabi Matha established by Guru Nanak is scheduled for demolition on this auspicious day #SaveEmaraMatha
Message from the Mahant of Emar Matha regarding his current plight. If this is how an acharya of a matha established by Ramanujacharya's direct disciples are treated by the state, then the time we live isnt much different from the Mughal era.
Image courtersy: @ShreehariK of @indiccollective
List of mathas scheduled for demolition at Puri includes mathas from various sampradayas like Advaita, Ramanuja's Visishtadvaita, Ramanandi, Chaitanya's gaudiya parampara and even sikh parampara of Guru Nanak. Will atleast this issue see a widespread protest by Hindus?
Last year when the govt was mulling over beautification of Jagannath Temple, Puri Gajapati submitted a wonderful plan which also included beautification of Emara and other mathas. But the state govt has now come up with this demolition drive by ignoring it kalingatv.com/state/puri-gaj…
Speaking about the demolition drive of centuries old mathas in Puri by terrorizing and harrasing the mahants, Chilkur head priest @csranga asks whether the SC has no moral responsibility to hear the petitions abt preservation of 1000 year old mathas?
Apparently a lot of politicians who repeatedly took the name of Jagannath are too busy to hear the devotees who approached them for help in stopping the demolition of the mathas. Hindus and their gods dont matter when there are no elections approaching. #SaveEmaraMatha
Ironically some of them were even performing Jagannath Arti abroad while people were begging them to intervene in this matter. Moreover this is not the first time that such an attitude of arrogance is in display
Last year when the murti of Patitapabana was desecrated through a pellet shot while controlling the protest against inefficient queue system, some politicians stated that they had no benefit by intervening in that matter.
But a few months later the same politicians were seen storming the temple as a part of their campaign for Lok Sabha Elections. Till the day Hindus are gullible to the publicity stunts of such politicians, such demolition drives and desecrations are bound to happen.
Since a lot of ppl upset with the demolition drive at Puri are messaging me asking how they can contribute instead of replying everyone individually. Normal ppl clueless abt how to contribute can do 3 things:
1. Organize local protests against demolition as public pressure..
1. Organize local protests against demolition as public pressure..
is the best way to make an elected govt budge in a democracy
2. Get your mathas and local Hibdu orgs to submit petitions to the cultural ministry and odisha state govt or file cases against demolition drive in SC
2. Get your mathas and local Hibdu orgs to submit petitions to the cultural ministry and odisha state govt or file cases against demolition drive in SC
3. Support @indiccollective and other institutions like Emar Matha which are fighting legally against this demolition as litigation is an expensive business and individuals cant spend from their own pockets all the time
Today power connection has been restored by the district administration at the Emar Matha as a result of various complaints filed regarding Human rights violations by local Odia journalists and members of Voice of Common Man organization #SaveEmaraMatha
So now the state govt has sanctioned 5 crores for setting up a new Raghunandan Library in the same matha premises. Will this new building not be a security threat for Srimandira? Why was it not demolished if its existance was not a threat? #SaveEmaraMatha dailypioneer.com/2019/state-edi…
The Press Release of Odisha govt today states that they will focus on conservation of deities and heritage architecture of mathas around Srimandira. And how are they going to achieve it? By razing them to the ground?
A few hrs earlier some guy came to Bada Akhara mutt late night claiming to be collector's man. He threatened the mahant to sign a paper which stated that he is consenting for matha to be demolished because it is unsafe. Mahant refused stating that matha is in good condition
Bada Akhara Matha belongs to Ramanandi Sampradaya to which greats like Sant Ravidas, Meerabai, Kabirdas and Tulsidas belonged to.
The Bada Akhara mahant managed to get more mahants into his matha tonight even as there was police cordon thus protecting his sacred place of worship.
This is the picture of Bada Akhara Matha. Most probably today will be its last day of existance as the matha is scheduled for demolition tomorrow.
This is the hanuman temple present inside Bada Akhara Matha. The government claims that this building is unsafe and can collapse anytime. I dont think we need experts to prove that this claim of the govt is a lie after looking at this picture.
State of Emar Mahant today morning. Since he has refused to vacate the premises, police and collector are hesitating to use overt force anymore. Hence they are torturing him by denying him basic facilities. #SaveEmaraMatha
Hight time someone asked the spokespersons of @bjd_odisha who are justifying the demolition of centuries old mathas in Jagannath Puri by terming it as encroached about the lack of similar action on the Biju Patnaik Samadhi at Puri which was deemed illegal m.timesofindia.com/city/bhubanesw…
How does a less than 2 decade old memorial of a politician enjoy more prominence and care than centuries old heritage structures tagged by ASI? #SaveEmaraMatha
Contrary to this claim of odisha govt, the ASI report of Bada Akhara Matha says there are no signs of serious deterioration. As per the report there are some plants on the roof which needs regular cleaning. So how did the govt deem it unsafe when ASI is saying otherwise?
The plants on the roof are more common in stone structure and do not pose any serious threat as per the report.
The officials who came early morning today to demolish the matha found devotees and Mahant of Bada Akhara Matha sitting inside the matha protesting against its demolition. The officials and police even entered the matha and its temple premises with boots
The mahant and devotees are asking for the state govt to show the demolition approval of relevant authorities since their building is marked as a heritage structure by ASI. But govt officials want the mahant to sign instead in approval of demolition
In full glare of media, Bada Akhara Mahant was forcibly removed from his matha premises by police for DISCUSSION. Officials are now preparing for commencement of demolition.
500 year old traditional home of Ramanandi Naga Sadhus who gave their lives to protect Srimandira from the barbaric hands of Kalapahad is now being desecrated. But odia politicians & their minions claiming to be bhaktas of Jagannath are claiming it for development of Srimandira
The police forces which entered the matha to cordon off the mahant desecrated the sacred premises of Hanuman Ji by entering with boots.
More than 1000 policemen have now surrounded the matha and are hounding the Naga Sadhus and devotees protesting against its demolition. Protectors of Jagannath Mahaprabhu who have put their lives in line many times to protect Purushottama are now being humiliated by secular state
As the JCBs went close to Bada Akhara Matha for demolition, Naga Sadhus and devotees moved to first floor balcony and terrace with slogans of Jai Shri Ram. The sadhus are not ready to allow the demolition of the place where Swami Ramanand stayed despite police high handedness
The Mahants of Emar Matha and Bada Akhara Matha are the ones standing between our cultural heritage and its destroyer in the state govt appratus
Puri Demolition: State sanctioned Hinduphobia via @IndiaFactsOrg indiafacts.org/puri-demolitio…
No demolition happened at the Bada Akhara Matha today. By the time the building was evacuated forcefully, it started raining heavily forcing the officials to abandon the demolition. By the grace of Jagannath, the Mahant has returned safe from ADM office.
This day belonged to the Naga Sadhu disciples of Swami Ramanand. It is a day which we can proudly look back with pride as the defense put up by ordinary Hindus. But it is not the end, the same officials and their excavators will be back tomorrow as well
Cancelling my @SwarajyaMag subscription just for this tweet. Supporting a venture which feeds such people deriding the fight of traditional acharyas is ntg but a grave sin in my view
We can look back with pride*
@SwarajyaMag Now the DM of Puri is saying that Mathas within 75m radius of Srimandira will be reconstructed in a grand manner without residences and shops inside their building complex. Why not move away shops and residences without demolishing heritage structures?
If shops in the matha buildings were the reason behind security threat of Srimandira as stated in this video, why not remove those shops alone? What is the need to demolish the entire building? This is similar to that childhood story of a sparrow burning its nest to have light
Some of the mathas scheduled for demolition can be seen at this 1928 Rath Yatra video. Unfortunately all these mathas including the home of security guards of Srimandira in Bada Akhada matha has been marked as a security threat for temple by a govt formed abt 20 yrs aft this vid
The rituals and traditions of Srimandira have always been disregarded in the secular state. For example till a few decades ago, the entire grand road in which the rath yatra of Jagannath Mahaprabhu takes place was devoid of any non veg restaurants as Jagannath is satva swarupa
Swarga dwar beach where lakhs of Hindus perform final rites of their beloved deceased in now filled with drunkards, thanks to the establishment of various bars in that place.
Any sensible govt which is really worried about developing pilgrimage and religious tourism along with preserving cultural identity and sacredness of Jagannath Puri will try to tackle with such problems but the secular state has instead decided to demolish the heritage mathas
Open letter to CJI signed by 10 mahants of Puri whose Mathas are currently marked for demolition. Point to be noted in this letter is the lie uttered by Odisha's AG at the SC reg the approval of Mahants for the cuurent demolition drive in Srikshetra
Current*
Despite the protests witnessed against demolition drive, Puri collector refused to listen to the request of mahants & servitors in today's meeting. The mahants are now saying that they will have to lie before bulldozers if they continue with the demolition odishatv.in/odisha/demolit…
People whose ancestors had laid down their lives for protecting the Srimandira are being subjected to such humiliation and there is no noise whatsoever in the national media. Speaks alot abt the status enjoyed by Hindus in secular state i guess #PuriMath
Must read for those unaware about the significance and religious importance of Emar Matha. We are on the verge of losing a matha established by Ramanuja's cousin and foremost disciple Govinda (Embar) as a result of mindless demolition around the Srimandira
The @indiccollective which had moved for a stay in SC, claimed that structures of historical significance are protected under Venice charter of 1964. Apart from this the places of worship act 1991 & UNESCO convention 1972 also deem this demolition illegal newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/…
Seems like politicians who were too busy to hear the plea of devotees when they were being hounded during the demolition drive are rushing to Puri today since the devotees themselves were unexpectedly successful in thwarting the attempts of the state to demolish the mathas.
Centuries old mathas are being declared as 'unsafe' and demolished by the government without even serving due notice to the Mahants of these mathas, writes @IchBinGorg
Road paving being done over the place where Raghunandan Library stood. Odiyas have lost their glorious seat of learning so that some VIPs and bigshots can have their cars parked near Srimandira. #Culturalgenocide
"We are not opposing the entire project. We are only opposing the current process being followed", said @sambitswaraj while addressing the media at Puri after his interaction with the Mahants.
@sambitswaraj The Collector is once again continuing with the same rant of conserving the matha culture by rebuilding them without shops after their demolition. What is the need to demolish entire heritage structures if only shops functioning there are the targets?
@sambitswaraj A lot has been spoken about Mahants of Emar Matha forgetting their contributions to Odia people based on propaganda run by state govt as the Mahant refused to handover silver blocks found in Matha. Read this to find answers for those all those narratives
indiafacts.org/state-sponsore…
indiafacts.org/state-sponsore…
@sambitswaraj The regular Annadana by Matha had been serving food to masses of destitute coming to Puri. Birds were fed with few Kgs of rice as Jeeva Mathra karunya. When British forced Gajapati to reduce expenditure on security of Srimandira, Emar Matha stepped in by paying salary for guards
@sambitswaraj The Matha owned around fifty thousand to sixty thousand acres of land in 1800, making it second most significant religious institution in Puri after Srimandira. Emar Matha also opened its granary for entire town of Puri and the pilgrims who arrived to have darshan of Jagannatha.
@sambitswaraj Even provisions required to cook Prasada for Annabrahma Jagannatha Swamy was supplied by Emara Matha when British govt denied the supply of grains citing famine. The Matha fed the whole of Puri for seven and a half months.
@sambitswaraj Emar math also contributed to bringing Railway, telegraph, and electricity into Puri by giving land and bearing the expenses.
@sambitswaraj We must note that the mahants of the Matha were always non-odiyas, from Tamilnadu or Northern India. A model of national integration in contrast to the Dravida politicians’ depiction of conflicts between north and south India.
@sambitswaraj Emara math lost a large chunk of property due to Zamindari and Inam abolition laws. Now the Mutt owns around eleven thousand acres of land. With enormous assets right opposite the gates of Srimandira, the Matha has been a target for politicians considering its real estate value
@sambitswaraj Orissa government even appropriated control of Emar Matha through legislation, which is directly against the Shirur Mutt judgement of the Honorable Supreme Court of India.
@sambitswaraj The plight of the current Mahant Rajgopal Ramanuj Das started on the day his Uncle, the previous Mahant, attained Vaikuntha. Leaving the medicine studies aside, he came to perform the funeral rites of his predecessor.
@sambitswaraj Using the opportunity, Orissa Hindu Religious Endowments officials sealed the Matha refusing to recognise the new Mahant. He had to sleep outside on his return from the funeral. After a long and tiring legal battle, certain parts of the Matha has been given back to the Mahant.
@sambitswaraj However, the Mutt’s sufferings did not end there. Following a court order, the Archeology department started repair works in the Matha. One fine day, police caught two labourers who were trying to sell Silver bricks in Dhenkanal district.
@sambitswaraj On inquiry, he pointed to a small room inside the Matha where 522 silver blocks weighing about 18 tonnes were found. The massive stock of Silver was found from four Sinduka (wooden containers) placed inside a room, closed from all sides by brick walls, in the Emar Matha.
@sambitswaraj The Endowment department wanted to seize the treasure of the Mutt, which was opposed by the Mahant. So the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) built a case that the Mahant stole the wealth of the Matha and arrested him
@sambitswaraj The Endowment department also dismissed him off from the position of Mahant although the denomination’s lineage is hereditary. Despite Court directing the Endowment to pay the Mahant for performing his religious duties, not a penny has been paid till now.
@sambitswaraj Not only he is denied of any means of subsistence, but also there is no idea about the income from the Eleven thousand acres of land belonging to Mutt. His only crime was that he objected to the SJTA’s attempts to appropriate the wealth of the Emar Matha.
@sambitswaraj The persecution of the Mahant by fabricating theft case on him was followed by the State authorities moving ahead with a grand demolition plan in the guise of development of Puri.
@sambitswaraj From 2012 onwards there has been systemic demolition of heritage institutions around the Jagannath temple by the State. Their excuse for the rampant destruction of cultural heritage was that these centuries-old buildings posed a security threat to the grand temple
@sambitswaraj Earlier, in 2018, the Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb himself had met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and SJTA officials suggesting the ways to develop the holy city of Puri without losing heritage value.
@sambitswaraj But the rogue Government did not heed to any of the requests to preserve the heritage structures around the Srimandira and went ahead with a massive demolition drive.
@sambitswaraj I wholeheartedly thank @Ravilochanan86 and @IchBinGorg for writing this detailed article against the state sponsored propaganda of demeaning the Mahant of Emar Matha
The amount for reconstruction of Ragunandan Library has increased frm 5 to 25 crores as a result of increased outrage over demolition drive. But where will govt construct this library since it has already started laying roads in demolished area of matha
Management committee of SJTA had a meeting with the Mahants and devotees today. The devotees made a strong case that religious places with heritage value cannot be acquired under land acquisition nor destroyed. The ASI reports for the mathas were also shared with the committee
As per sources, the committee maintained silence when asked abt the reason behind the order for demolition of mathas around Srimandira.
So Odisha govt is planning to rebuild Raghunandan Library with heritage architecture at a cost 25 crores after demolishing the centuries old existing structure. And whats more interesting is that they want to rebuild this library at Emar Matha's site
Seems like Srimandira suraksha is not threatened by the presence of buildings at 75m radius. It is threatened by the existence of mathas. #Culturalgenocide
Unfortunate that Amicus Curiae and ASG Tushar Mehta spoke in approval of the eviction drive without meeting the mahants from any of the affected mathas
As a result, the District admin has stated now that since the amicus doesn't seem to have any problems, the administration will go ahead with demolition.
Most disappointing aspect of this visit by Amicus and ASG was their refusal to pay heed the devotees who requested them to visit the mathas scheduled for demolition and their mahants before arriving at a decision
It is unfortunate that the Amicus Curiae has gone against the ethics of his profession. It is upto the Honorable court to assess the Amicus' impartial report and identify whether the demolition is good or not. But here Amicus himself is seen passing opinion on demolition
The demolition of ancient Bada Akhara Matha was started today morning by the district admin as a result of the statements made by the Amicus during his visit. Evacuation of the matha premises was done yest night
The Naga Sadhus who had put up a valiant fight last week had no other option but to bow down before the state apparatus this time. 500 yr old establishment of Swami Ramanand is being dismantled brick by brick under the secular state
Here is a picture of the demolition of Bada Akhara Matha which is going on currently. The matha established by the guru of Sant Ravidas, Meera, Kabirdas and Tulsidas is being bulldozed by the secular state without a noise of protest against it in any of the major platforms.
Press release of the Mahantas of Puri expressing their regret over the statement passed by Amicus and ASG in approval of the demolition without giving an audience to the affected parties.
The occupants of Bada Akhara Matha were asked to moved out by Saturday evening but the Mahant refused citing health reasons. Yet the district admin forcefully moved him to Nilachal Bhakt Niwas and started demolishing the 500 yr old building today morning ommcomnews.com/odisha-news/de…
Atleast 30 students learning vedas who were learning vedas at the Bada Akhara Matha have now been displaced as a result of its demolition. "We had no other option than surrendering meekly before the administration", said a disciple of the matha timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubanesw…
While 900 year old mathas are being bulldozed, british era schools are being pushed for conservation by the virtue of their declaration as heritage structures. Even aft 70 yrs of independence, our country values British architecture more than Indian architecture
The Mahantas of Puri have sent a representation to the Amicus Curiae and ASG listing their grievances regarding the current demolition and requesting them to have a discussion with the Mahantas of affected Mathas.
Radhaballabha Matha seen in these pictures is the place where Jayadeva stayed and wrote Gita Govindam. Its a sacred place of worship for devotees of Jagannath. But for Odisha govt its just an unsafe building and hence this Matha is scheduled for demolition as well.
As per tradition, Jayadeva's wife had pratyaksha darshana of Jagannath Mahaprabhu at Radhaballabha Matha. It is a place of pilgrimage in itself for the devotees of Jagannath. How is demolition of this sacred spot different from the demolition of Srimandira itself?
Mr Misra from Voice of Common Man is actively trying to protect this sacred place of worship from demolition. Requesting all odias to join Mr Misra and voice their protest against this barbaric act of Odisha govt
Mangu Matha belonging to Udasi Sampradaya, which was formed Gurananak's son Srichand, is next in line for demolition. The govt authorities who came to demolish the matha today left without doing so as one of the illegal squatters on the premises is Under Secretary of Odisha govt
Will this be sufficient for national media outfits to notice the barbaric destruction of our cultural and spiritual heritage at Puri?
पटनायक सरकार क्यों तोड़ रही है मठों को? | #BindasBol सुरेश चव्हाणके जी के साथ via @SureshChavhanke
As the Punjab Government is going all out to commemorate the 550th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak, members of the Sikh community in Odisha have expressed concern over the impending demolition of Mangu Matha.
m.tribuneindia.com/article/save-m…
m.tribuneindia.com/article/save-m…
Since @OfPinaki doesnt seem to have an idea about the plague of encroachments affecting the mathas, let us take the pain of educating him about his constituency
The shops u see are a part of Mangu Matha. The entire premises of the matha is about 12000 sq ft out of which currently around 9000 sq ft has illegally occupied by shops running under the blessing of an undersecretary in the odisha state govt.
The Mahant of Mangu Matha has been reaching out to various govt authorities asking for help against this illegal encroachment. But unfortunately none of the govt authorities were interested in attacking this mafia which has been systematically destroying the mathas
The Mahant of Rewasa Matha was even chased out by some illegal encroachers who are working on behalf of another powerful bureaucrat in Odisha govt. Those encroachers even stole the puja materials, salagramas and ancient vigrahas from Rewasa Matha a few months back
But unfortunately the Puri police refused to even file an FIR for thiw theft despite visiting the shops run by these encroachers in the matha premises for enquiry. They simply stated that the matha had no proof for the possession of stolen materials
Instead of helping out these mathas hounded by various govt authorities as a responsible public representative, the tweets of @OfPinaki seem to be promoting the narrative pushed by these odia encroachers who want the possession of these non odia mathas
It simple makes one wonder if all these encroachers who were thought to be working on behalf of various bureaucrats are actually working on behalf of @bjd_odisha.
Moreover under these pathetic circumstances, i think its time for hindus across the country to request their respective state govt authorities to protect the mathas established by revered saints from different parts of the country.
It is time for @mafoikprajan and @myogioffice to write to @CMO_Odisha seeking protection and rebuilding of centuries old mathas established by Ramanujacharya and Ramanand like @capt_amarinder. Barbaric destruction of such heritage structures shouldnt be allowed in a free country
Hindus across the world must realize that Jagannath and his matha are not properties of Odisha alone as Odias have been portraying in recent times. Jagannath culture is not odia culture. It is Hindu culture.
Puri is known as Srikshetra as it was celebrated by various saints from different sampradayas. By breaking those mathas which stand as a testimony for this greatness of Puri, you are simply destroying the aspect of Srikshetra. Hence it is time for hindus to unite and protest
Gita Govindam written by Jayadeva is an important aspect of Kerala's culture. Sopana geetham sung in kerala temples is merely malayalam translation of this great work.
But now Radhaballabha Matha where Gita Govindam was written is scheduled for demolition. If Odias dont care about it, it is time for Malayalis to step in. Urge @CMOKerala, @ShashiTharoor, @VMBJP and your other public representatives to ask @CMO_Odisha to stop this demolition
Simply*
Am seeing many complaints on "corrupt Mahants" from a section of Odias who are trying their best to justify this barbaric demolition. So here are a few facts regarding the contributions of Emar Matha which has currently been demolished.
Many know that Emar Matha protected the state of Odisha during the 1866 famine and its efforts to promote the odia culture. But how many ppl know that the govt school of Puri stands in the land given by Emar Matha to the govt for establishing a high class educational institution
The Puri district hospital also stands in the land given by the Matha. Apart from this anecdotes also suggest that the then Mahant even made financial contributions to the Odisha govt for establishing that hospital
The contributions of the matha in bringing railway & postal services to Puri is also something worth remembering. It must also be noted that railway lines in Puri have not seen much development aft the erosion of Emar Matha's financial strength by various draconian legislations
In short most of the basic facilities available in the whole town of Puri was made available because of the efforts of Emar Matha. Subsequent secular governments didnt care much to improve basic facilities as they were busy in destroying its sanctity by making it a tourist spot
As a result the entire town is now in a mess. But its unfortunate to see the mathas being blamed without any oppn even for the mess created by the secular govts of the state
A sevayat told me last yr when Patitapabana was desecrated by police that people of Puri have lost the fortune of having Srimanadira & mathas through their heinous thoughts & acts. Careless statements supporting the demolition by demonizing mahants makes me think that he is right
Here is something for people saying temples of the mathas are not being demolished to note. Puri collector refused to give a written assurance regarding the same on being approached by the Mahant of Dakshin Parshwa Matha
newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/…
newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/…
Mahant Srinivas Ramanuja Das met the Collector who refused to give a written assurance that the temples, gaadi and his room would not be demolished. Instead, the Collector asked him to give in writing that the mutt be demolished on the ground that its building is unsafe.
DSGMC team reaches Puri to stop demolition of Guru Nanak's Mutts. The collector assured the team that Mutts related with Guru Nanak Dev will not be demolished keeping in mind the religious belief of Sikhs associated with these places.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/…
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/…
Dear @narendramodi, a bureaucrat in Odisha told us that officials in central govt have been hailing the ongoing demolition drive in Puri for widening of roads. They infact had even suggested demolition of Gambhira (the house where chaitanya spent his last days)
Apart from being structures of cultural importance, Gambhira and other mathas are places of religious importance for Hindus visiting Puri. Hence we request the intervention of your govt's @MinOfCultureGoI to coordinate with respective authorities and stop the ongoing demolition
The Supreme Court has today condemned the forcible demolition of the mathas by Odisha govt and asked it to sort out the matter with all the Mahantas.
Justice Mishra observed that the Odisha govt simply cant ignore the stakeholders affected by this approach irrespective of its noble intentions. Hoping that this will end the high handed approach adapted by the state machinery citing development of Srimandira as its motive
Though a small portion of the Matha comes under the 75-metre radius, the administration is claiming that the centuries old building is unsafe and is calling for its complete demolition. Moreover the Matha was renovated and certified safe in 2012.
newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/…
newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/…
Torani Matha Mahant urged the administration to allocate land for his matha as he can't offer refreshment drinks (made from maha prasad) to devotees if the matha is moved to faraway place.
The matha was given 32 acres of agricultural land in Nimapara for the service it rendered to the Srimandira instead of a monthly payment. All of this has now been forcibly occupied by locals who are the pioneers of mathas have no place in Jagannath culture narrative
Ahobila Matha Srikaryam has written to the CJI in support of the just representation made by several Mahantas of Puri and urged the CJI to stay the demolition of centuries old mathas.
Dear @OpIndia_com, thank you for covering the ongoing barbaric demolition of heritage mathas in Puri. However there is a small correction, the Amicus Curiae never met any of the mathadeeshas as claimed in this report. Hope you will crct is asap.
@OpIndia_com "Puri, the holy town, is promoted as a honeymoon spot these days! Puri district admin has recently begun hosting a Puri beach carnival, modeled on the Goa beach carnival, to supposedly showcase that the town is much more than just a sacred pilgrimage"
@OpIndia_com A four member delegation met Odisha Governor Prof. Ganeshi Lal and presented him a memorandum seeking immediate intervention and action to stop the proposed demolition of Sikh and Hindu Mutts in the vicinity of the Jagannath Temple at Puri.
orissadiary.com/delegation-mee…
orissadiary.com/delegation-mee…
@OpIndia_com The memorandum pointed out that “While the Sikh world is reverberating with religious functions & unique programmes to mark the 550 years of the birth of Guru Nanak Sahib on 12 November 2019, the demolition of Mathas would deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.”
The Supreme Court has effectively granted a stay today on ruthless demolition of centuries old mathas around Srimandira. Hoping that the govt will now follow the actual court order instead of citing the unethical verbal approval of Amicus for demolition
I was always wondering about fixing structures within 75m radius alone as security threats. A visit to Puri today made things clear. The office of SJTA, which cannot be demolished in secular unlike centuries old mathas, stands next to the demolished site of Bada Akhara Matha.
The secular state is now allowing shoe stands to operate at the site where one of the most sacred place of worship of Ramanandis stood before demolition. Seems like only Mathas are security threats for Srimandira in secular state.
Shoe stands which stood next to Raghunandan Library and Emar Matha complex have also been spared from demolition. Seems like only the sacred structures which didnt help the govt to mint money have faced the wrath of JCBs in this demolition drive.
The pathashala of Rewasa Matha which used to provide free education is currently used by policemen deployed at Srimandira. The pattern here is clear. Send gundas to harass the mahants, throw them out, occupy it and then finally destroy it by claiming them as encroached properties
The concept of Yatri niwas is still being preserved in its original form in the temple town of Puri. These Yatri Nivas lodges belong to people from different states like Assam, UP, Punjab etc.
These yatri nivas lodges cater to people from those states and other nearby regions. For example, Punjabi yatri nivas caters to pilgrims from Pak, HP and J&K along with Punjab. Pilgrims in these lodges are provided accomodation and food without having to pay a single penny.
But now these yatri niwas lodges are also marked for demolition as they fall within the 75m radius. As a result of the demolition of some of these lodges, we are currently seeing a number of poor devotees sleeping on streets around Srimandira.
The govt has been repeatedly giving the convenience for pilgrims as the main reason for this demolition. But it seems to have forgotten that a large chunk of ppl coming to Puri are not urban elites looking for luxuries but poor devotees hoping for a good darshan of Jagannath
Teming the mathas illegal is a blatant misrepresentation since those have been in existence for centuries and are a part of the social and religious fabric of Puri
google.com/amp/www.newind…
google.com/amp/www.newind…
Protect ancient mutts around Jagannath Temple, consult religious leaders: SC to Odisha govt via @htTweets
hindustantimes.com/india-news/pro…
hindustantimes.com/india-news/pro…
With the demolition of Mutts around the temple, which had been providing free accommodation, the widows coming to observe Kartika Brata in Puri are grappling with the most pressing issue of a roof over their head.
newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/…
newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/…
The annual arrangements by the govt are woefully short of requirement. The article in the tweet above speaks about the situation of 7 widows, who used to get free accomodation in Emar Matha, running around the town enquiring abt similar alternate arrangements
Politicians and government officials were deeming this demolition drive as an effort to improve the convenience of pilgrims visiting Jagannath Puri. Unfortunately, as we feared the situation after demolition is quite the opposite.
Finally @govardhanmath is now out of the Govt of Odisha's control through the said amendment of OHRCE act. Hoping that this will enable the Shankaracharya to help other mathas rotting and demolished under govt control.
