Significance of Nashik’s Kalaram Temple

January 13, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited the iconic Kalaram Mandir in Maharashtra’s temple town of Nashik. The site is deeply intertwined with Hindu mythology as part of the Ramayana’s Panchavati area where Lord Ram resided in exile

Political Prominence

The temple has drawn other leading figures too – Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray announced he would offer prayers on Ram Mandir consecration day. Over 90 years back, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar also led a pivotal temple entry movement for Dalits there.

Religious Legacy

Panchavati earned its name from five auspicious banyan trees present during Ram’s stint described in the Ramayana epic. It was also where demon-king Ravan deceitfully abducted Sita triggering the climactic war.

The Kalaram temple itself houses a uniquely dark statue of Lord Ram named “Kala Ram”, alongside deities of Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman. Built in 1792, its structural attributes hold symbolic spiritual meaning.

Site of Anti-Caste Struggle

The temple witnessed a seminal 1930 satyagraha as Ambedkar and activist Sane Guruji (Pandurang Sadashiv Sane) organized mass protests demanding oppressed castes be allowed sanctum access. The agitation faced hostility but endured for years.

On March 2nd, 1930, Dr. Ambedkar organized a mass protest by Dalits outside the Kalaram temple demanding their right to enter Hindu shrines. Truckloads of demonstrators encircled the temple staging sit-ins over days, singing songs and shouting slogans seeking temple access.

However, they faced hostility with an instance of stone-pelting when attempting to stop a Ram Navami procession from entering the premises. Ambedkar rushed to defuse tensions as per Dhananjay Keer’s account.

The agitation continued until 1935 as per records. Prior in 1927, Ambedkar had launchedsatyagrahas asserting Dalits’ rights to access public water bodies. Similarly, activist Sane Guruji campaigned extensively for Dalit rights across Maharashtra, even fasting in protest at the Pandharpur Vitthal temple.

Present Prominence

In modern times, the Kalaram temple remains strongly embedded in Maharashtra’s cultural and political consciousness. Its premises resonate with layered social connotations around religion.

« Previous Post Next Post »