‘No cremation for those demolishing shrines in Varanasi’

Lucknow: The Dom community of Varanasi that takes care of Hindu cremation rituals has announced that those demolishing or relocation temples will not be allowed to be cremated in Varanasi.

A number of small temples in Varanasi are being shifted and relocated for the construction of the proposed Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor. An agitation is presently on in Varanasi over the project and the Dom community has extended its support to the protestors.

Vishwanath Chaudhary, grandson of the Dom Raja Jagdish Chaudhary, said, “We will not allow the pyres of those invol-ved in shifting, demolishing and relocating temples to be lit in Varanasi. They can go elsewhere for their cremation.”

He added that every temple is a centre of religion and faith and cannot be shifted at will.

The proposed Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor extends from the Vishwanath temple to the Lalita Ghat and the 700 metres path is being widened for this.

About 300 houses are coming in the way of the expansion and most of these houses have small temples in them that will be razed along with the houses.

Swami Avimukteshwar-anand, a disciple of Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati, has launched a “Mandit Bachao Andolan”.

The announcement of the Dom community is bound to cause unrest among the local people for whom cremation of the dead in Varanasi is a path to salvation.

The Manikarnika Ghat and the Raja Harishchan-dra Ghat where cremations take place are known to witness long queues for the last rituals. The fire at Manikarnika Ghat, it is believed, never goes out.