Shri Guru Ravidas Janamsthan Sir Govardhanpur Banaras Liberation Struggle
- SR Darapuri, IPS (Retd.)
Everyone knows that Guru Ravidas (Raidas) was born in Kashi. According to some scholars, Guru Ravidas was born in Mandwadih because there is also an old temple of him there. Saint Kabir was also born in Lahartara and was a neighbor of Guru Ravidas but the people of Punjab have a definite opinion that Guru Ravidas was born in Seer Govardhanpur near BHU. In Punjab it was decided by Saint Sarwan Das, Dera Sachkhand Ballan (Jalandhar) to build a grand temple at Seer Govardhanpur, considering it to be the birthplace of Guru Ravidas. Its foundation stone was laid by Sant Hari Das and its construction work started in 1965.
When I was posted in Banaras in 1979, at that time the matter of the temple was in dispute. At that time only one hall of the temple and one main room in which the idol of Guru Ravidas was kept was constructed. The main reason for the quarrel was that Banta Ram Ghedha, President of the All India Adidharm Mission (Punjab), had taken possession of this temple on the grounds that Sant Sarwan Das had given him a charter in 1972, which stated that this The responsibility of the entire management of the temple is given to Banta Ram Ghedha. On the basis of this, he captured the temple and gave the entire management work to local residents Shankar Das and Meva Lal etc. They used to occupy the idol room of the temple and used to take out whatever donation came in the donation box and eat it. He was also in charge of taking permission to celebrate Ravidas Jayanti etc. in Banaras and making offerings in the temple. One day when I went to Seer Govardhanpur, there I met Bhola Ram and Saint Surendra Das from the Dera side. They told me that Shankar Das etc. have occupied the main room of the temple and they are not allowing them to do any work. He showed me the copy of the letter on the basis of which Banta Ram Ghedha had taken possession of the temple. When I read that letter, I found that it was written that the Ravidas temple is being constructed by Dera Ballan and it will be the property of the entire Ravidassia community. Its complete management will be done by the All India Adi Dharm Mission and there will be no interference from anyone. It was signed by Sant Sarwan Das, Bhola Ram and Banta Ram Ghedha and was on the pad of the All India Adidharm Mission. When I asked Bhola Ram about this, he told that this paper is correct. Sant Sarwan Das had written this. On this I told Bhola Ram that you will have to lie a little to save the temple. You have to say that my signature on the said letter is forged and the signature of Sant Sarwan Das who had become Brahmalin by that time is also forged. On this basis, we can challenge the occupation of Banta Ram's temple. On this Bhola Ram who was the resident of Ahima Kazi near Ballan agreed to my proposal. After this I sent a complaint letter on behalf of Bhola Ram to the district administration against Banta Ram for illegally occupying the temple.
The construction work was stopped due to this quarrel because Banta Ram said that whatever money has to be spent for its construction should be given to us, we will get the construction work done, that is why he also uprooted the stones in the name of Dera Ballan in the temple and got his stone installed. Shankar Das used to abuse the people living there and did not allow them to take water from the tap. Once I had heard myself abusing women. In fact, they wanted that no man from Punjab should stay there. Once some people from Punjab went there, Shankar Das complained that they were Khalistani people who had come to capture the temple. On this I told the district administration that all these are people of Dera. Once Shankar Das, in connivance with the district administration, got police out post opened in the temple, which I opposed and the police post was removed.
Once Shankar Das's men took away a lot of things like rugs, utensils, fans etc. from the temple hall where Bhola Ram etc used to stay. On this, I got a case of theft registered against him at Police Station Lanka. Shankar Das had also sent a complaint against me to the Chief Minister that I was interfering in the matter of the temple. During this period, Bhola Ram looked after the entire lobbying work and Sant Surendra Das used to stay with him continuously. I am of the firm belief that if Bhola Ram had not lobbied so hard to free the temple and if I had not been posted there at that time, then perhaps it would not have been possible to free the temple. Due to the brawl created by Banta Ram in the temple, the construction work of the temple was stopped for many years. This work could not start till 1991 when I was transferred from Banaras to Lucknow, but the temple had come under the control of the Dera. In my opinion, all the people associated with the Dera must know this history of liberation of Shri Guru Ravidas Janmasthan Sir Govardhanpura.
