Ram laut aaye! Sukma's Ram temple reopens after 21-year closure by Maoists

Bells from a Ram temple 180 kilometers away were ringing to commemorate the reopening of a Ram temple in one of Sukma's worst-hit Maoist districts on Monday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking about the 500-year-old dream being fulfilled at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, a village in Bastar.

#WATCH | Sukma, Chhattisgarh: CRPF 74 Corps revived a Hindu Ram Temple and handed it over to the local villagers, which was closed down in 2003 due to Naxal terror. (08.04) pic.twitter.com/08jQmfaZux

— ANI (@ANI) April 8, 2024

The lore around the temple 

The temple in Kerlapenda village, which was closed down on Maoist orders 21 years ago, has been reopened by security forces. This remote village is surrounded by a Maoist stronghold; it is only 10 km from Tadmetla, the scene of the 2010 massacre of 76 jawans, and not far from Tekulguda, the stronghold of Hidma, where 22 jawans were slain in April of 2021.

Rebels vs people

No one dared approach the temple after the rebels gave the people the order not to go there because of their extreme fear of the Maoists. all save one. Every day, a lone villager would stealthily ignite a lamp outside the closed door to maintain the lighting.

Temple revived 

Hundreds of villagers flocked to the temple on Saturday, which was manned by highly armed CRPF and police officers, as the doors were opened and sunlight entered for the first time in twenty-one years. The marble images of Lord Ram, Mata Sita, and Laxman were revered once the temple had been cleaned up. Once more, the CRPF camp that was established a few days ago between the villages of Kerlapenda and Lakhapal—roughly 10 km apart—inside a very forested area is what has changed the situation here.

Tribes who would not have normally spoken to strangers fell in contact with security officers once the CRPF camp was established. Ravi Kumar Meena, an assistant commandant of the CRPF from the Lakhapal security camp, stated that the plea to reopen the shrine was made during a medical camp that the military had set up. On Monday, a medical tent was set up in front of the temple. The Sukma district headquarters is approximately 90 km away from Kerlapenda; the final few km must be traveled on foot.

The faith restores!

Currently, the district administration is attempting to discover the temple's past. Although its exact age is unknown, officials think that, given its stone construction, it may be several centuries old. This Ram Navmi, the 800-person community is organizing a "bhandara."