Gandhi temple: the symbol of peace and non-violence

Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation has a special place in the heart of every Indian. But in a remote village – Bhatra – at the  outskirt of the Orissa’s Sambalpur town, people remember him in a very special way. They worship his idol in a temple - well known as “Bhatra Gandhi mandir”- specially constructed and dedicated to his name.
 
The temple is an attraction for people of all walks. Here, the priest, Kalia Bagh, a Dalit, chants Gandhi's teaching and writing to enlighten the younger generation. “We do not remember him (Mahatma Gandhi) only on the special occasions like most of the people in India. We offer prayer every day,” the president of Temple Development Committee, Pramod Kumar, said.

Kumar said that health camps, cleanliness pragramme and symposium on Gandhian philosophy are also being organised on a regular basis by the Temple Development Committee to educate the local people and youth. “The temple is an attraction for the People of all faiths across the country,” he said, adding, "Gandhi is remembered not only for the  country's independence struggle but also for spreading a massage of non-violence and brother-hood to the whole mankind." 

Bhatra Gandhi mandir is the brain-child of Abhimanyu Kumar, a former legislature of the Rairakhol constituency under whose jurisdiction the temple is located, belongs to Dalit community. At 87, he remembers those days when the idea of constructing a temple was conceived in his mind. “Entry to the temple was forbidden for us in those days as we were considered as 'untouchable'. So to get rid of the situation, an idea of construction of a temple of own was cropped up in my mind in 1971. Later, when I became the legislature, I decided to dedicate the temple to the man who tried to abolish ‘untouchability’ during his whole life,” Abhimanyu Kumar said, recalling his past.