Ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, a series of religious projects are being proposed in the state, aimed at promoting religious tourism and influencing voters. The latest project is a Ram temple in Shantipur in Nadia district by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arindam Bhattacharya, who was the former Trinamool Congress MLA of the constituency. Bhattacharya is confident of winning from the same constituency if he gets a BJP ticket.
Bhattacharya, however, says this project is under the ‘Shri Kritibas Ram Mandir Trust’, which has been working on research since 2017. “When I became the MLA in 2016, I did not undertake any such project and won by 52 per cent votes," said Arindam Bhattacharya, who says he was part of other temple reconstruction projects post his victory as TMC MLA in 2016 and hence the current Ram Temple project is not politically motivated.
Bhattacharya said Shantipur, a cultural heritage, is also the birthplace of poet Kritibas Ojha. The temple is intended as a tribute to Ojha's efforts to popularise Lord Ram and honour his Bengali translation of the Ramayan, which is called Ram Panchali. “There was a gap due to political crises. Else, this project would have taken shape much before. Detailed research has been done," added Bhattacharya, whose aim is to give the new generation a glimpse of the 600-year-old literature through books available at the cultural centre and marketed for awareness.
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The temple complex to be built over 15 bighas of land will include a Kritibas cultural centre, an ancient cultural research centre and the Ram temple at the centre. The idol of Lord Ram will be green in colour, which signifies connection with the soil of Bengal. The funding for the temple is coming from members of the Kritibas Trust, and so far, it is estimated at Rs 100 crore. Members of the Trust include Vedic scholars and other spiritual entities.
The architect behind the marble work at the Ram temple in Ayodhya has also been approached. Traditional Bengali architecture will also be used, including terracotta designs. Bhattacharya said these aspects are being worked on before fixing a final budget after working with professionals. The blueprint was made a few years ago, but changes were made after that. The foundation stone laying ceremony is expected before February 15.
Religion and politics
Over the last few months, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has laid the foundation stone for Rs 262 crore Durga Angan temple complex in Kolkata, Rs 345 crore Mahakal Mahatirtha temple complex and the Rs 1,675 crore Gangasagar Setu to improve connectivity for the Gangasagar mela. Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Humayun Kabir laid the foundation stone for the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad district, post which he launched his own political party, Janata Unnayun Party (JUP).