Twelve Years They Guarded Maa's Temple: Birsa Vahini Begins Construction of Maa Ban Durga Temple in Chakradharpur

Not all the attacks on Hindu festivals, Hindu temples and Hindu rituals make it into the mainstream media. Most of the persecution of poor Hindus in Bharat happens in remote villages, where there is no one to protect and preserve the rights of poor local Hindu families. They are left alone to struggle just to practice their Dharma and celebrate their festivals without disturbance. Many times, when they are unable to fight the persecution, poor Hindus either convert, abandon their Dharma, or abandon the homes and villages where they have lived for generations and run away in search of a safe place to live.

This is the story of one small temple that refused to fall — and of the brave women who held it up with their bare hands for twelve long years.

Maa Ban Durga Temple, Chakradharpur

In the small town of Chakradharpur, in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, stands a small temple the local Hindus lovingly call the Maa Ban Durga temple. The local Hindus, who mostly belong to the Harijan community, manage this temple and protect it. For about 12 years, they have been fighting to preserve and protect their place of worship from those who have tried every trick in the book to capture the temple land and to either convert or chase away this Hindu population from the area.

When the Birsa Vahini team sat with the brave local women who have dedicated their lives to the service of Maa Ban Durga, many of them cried as they shared their struggle and the pain they have endured to protect this sacred place. Some of the incidents they shared with us break the heart:

1. The road to the temple has been captured. Both sides of the road that leads to this temple have been encroached upon, so much so that a four-wheeler cannot even get closer to the temple premises.
2. The temple has been desecrated again and again. Many times, when the Pujari went to do morning Puja, he found cow meat thrown around in the temple premises. Many times, buckets of urine were found spread all around the temple.
3. No help ever came. Police and administrative help is usually not provided to these poor Hindu families and their women. Scuffles often happen when trouble is created during festivities.

The Women Who Never Gave Up

But these brave women, who have dedicated their lives to Maa Ban Durga, never gave up. No matter what was thrown at them, they ensured that Puja, Archana and Kirtans continue to happen at Maa's temple. Their hard work and sacrifice have now begun yielding positive results, and bigger gatherings of devotees are happening on special occasions at this place.

Yet the temple they guard is heartbreakingly small. The existing structure is so tiny that it cannot accommodate anything other than the Pujari and the murti of Maa Ban Durga. One of the two murtis, Maa Mansa, is kept outside this temple under a plastic shade — in the sun, in the rain, under plastic, while her daughters stand guard outside.

A Mother who protects the whole world deserves better than a plastic shade. Her children deserve better than a lane they cannot walk to her with pride.

Birsa Vahini Takes Up the Construction

Birsa Vahini has resolved to stand with this struggling Hindu community and help them preserve and protect their place of worship, and to develop this temple into a great place of worship for the Hindu communities around. Our team has taken up the renovation of the temple and the construction of a boundary wall for the temple premises.

The construction of the temple building begins on December 16, 2023.

This temple will give the Hindu community of all the surrounding villages a place to gather, to perform our Puja-Archana, and to celebrate their spiritual festivals properly. Above all, it will unite the community and be a great morale booster for these poor but brave women, who have so much Aastha in Maa Ban Durga and this temple.

Stand With Those Who Stand for Dharma

This work has been made possible by our supporters and Dharmik organizations, who stood behind these brave devotees when no one else would. Birsa Vahini is grateful to every Dharmik heart that made this possible.

But Chakradharpur is not the only Chakradharpur. Across Bharat, there are thousands of small temples guarded by poor, brave devotees who have no one standing behind them. If this story moved you, stand with Birsa Vahini, so that no temple stands alone, no Maa sits under a plastic shade, and no daughter of Dharma has to cry alone while guarding her Mother's home.

Jai Maa Ban Durga! Har Har Mahadev!