PM Modi’s Visit to ‘Mini Punjab’ in Varanasi Today to Enhance the Magnificence of Sant Ravidas Jayanti
The birthplace of 15th-century poet and saint Guru Ravidas is Sir Gobardhanpur, also known as Seer Goverdhanpur in the local vernacular. It is a little village outside of Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The village, sometimes referred to as “Mini Punjab,” is preparing for the large-scale celebration of Ravidas Jayanti on February 24. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to pay a visit to the Saint Ravidas Temple, a place of pilgrimage for Ravidasia Sikhs, Dalits, and other religious groups.
On Friday, PM Modi will unveil the Saint Ravidas monument during his two-day visit to Kashi. He had established the statue’s framework back in 2019. Along with the devotees, he will honor the saint and host a communal feast.
Prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Modi is making his third trip to the temple since taking office. Prior to this, he had spoken with the devotees on his first visit to Seer Goverdhanpur in 2016, which was just before the state assembly elections. He then made a visit before to the 2019 elections. Political observers in Uttar Pradesh saw PM Modi’s visit as an effort to court voters in Punjab, Haryana, and other states.
“MINI PUNJAB”
Although Ravidas Jayanti festivities are widespread in various states and districts, Kashi is said to have a special place in people’s hearts since it is the birthplace of the saint from the fifteenth century.
Millions of devotees, both domestically and internationally, gather to this temple on this auspicious occasion to pay their respects to the birthplace of Guru Ravidas, who is revered as ‘Sant Shiromani’ and is best known for starting the Bhakti movement. Additionally, Dalits and Sikhs from Ravidasia visit this location on pilgrimage. According to some scholars, this temple is as significant to Dalits as Mecca is to Muslims and the Golden Temple is to Sikhs. This is according to professor Rajeev Srivastava, a historian who resides in Varanasi.
AN IMAGINATIVE GLAMOR
The Saint Ravidas Temple, according to Srivastava, is a wonder of architecture. “The temple has over thirty gold-studded huge and tiny domes in addition to the main dome. Within lies the Saint Ravidas Penance Palace, where a “Sitar,” one of the saint’s possessions, is placed in one of the room’s corners. On June 14, 1965, the temple’s foundation was set, and Swami Garib Das was given the task of constructing it. On February 22, 1974, the saint Ravidas statue was placed in the Sant Sammelan held at this shrine.
CELEBRATIONS BEGIN EARLY IN THE WEEK
The pilgrims from Punjab, including a delegation headed by the chairman of the trust, Sant Niranjandas, arrive in special trains about a week ahead of the primary celebration day, Ravidas Jayanti. The district government of Varanasi makes sure that everything is arranged at the pilgrimage site, which also celebrates the event with a large fair.
MEASURABLE POLITICAL IMPACT
In an effort to increase their support base, a number of political party leaders and VVIPs attend the expo, which adds political significance to it.
In addition to PM Modi, other visitors to the location include Chief Ministers of the UP and Delhi, Yogi Adityanath and Arvind Kejriwal, as well as Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party. Ravidassias, according to political experts, are a Dalit group, the majority of whom—nearly 12 lakh—live in the Doaba area of Punjab, which includes Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Nawanshahr. They are also influential in Punjabi politics.
Numerous initiatives for the development of Saint Ravidas’ birthplace have been started ever since the Yogi administration took office in Uttar Pradesh. Among these is the Sant Ravidas Birthplace Development Project, which entails spending Rs 5.35 million to build a restroom block and langar hall (community hall) next to the Ravidas shrine.
