Bapu's first temple in North India witnesses devotees daily

Mahatma Gandhi's first temple built in North India in Himachal's Sirmaur witnesses devotees daily. People of the village have accused the government of ignoring the temples due to which religious structures are losing their significance.

Paonta Sahib: Hundreds of people gather at a temple built in Mahatma Gandhi’s memory in Himachal Pradesh's Amboya village in Sirmaur. The only temple in North India was built during 1951-52 under the campaign in which temples of Bapu were built across the nation.

This is probably the first temple dedicated to Bapu in North India in which people of Amboya village gather every day and offer prayers to him. People of the village treat Mahatma Gandhi equivalent to God and gather here especially on the occasion of Bapu's birth and death anniversary.

However, every year on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi a fair is organised by the temple authorities. But this year, the fair has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

People of Amboya village have expressed their displeasure with the government's decision of cancelling the fair. Villages have accused political leaders of politicising the issue over Gandhi's name and stated that the government has ignored the temple, the reason due to which the temple has remained unknown to the public. Villagers want the administration and government to take care of Mahatma Gandhi Temple.

Madan Seval and Jugal Kishore Seval, who built this temple of Mahatma Gandhi in Amboya, said that they built the temple by putting a tin shelter. At that time, it was built temporarily, but later the construction was completed.

Under this temple building campaign, there were around 100 temples built across the nation but due to the negligence of the government, Mahatma Gandhi temples are losing their existence. Now, there are only a few Mahatma Gandhi temples which exist across the nation, including the one in Siramaur.

Villagers fear that if the government keeps on neglecting this temple, then this temple will also lose its existence. Years back Himachal founder Dr. Y S Parmar, Former CM Virbhadra Singh and Former CM Shanta Kumar visited this temple.

The temple built-in memory of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi is still waiting for the government and administration to look after it so that the temple gets the identity it deserves.