Raipur: The maintenance and painting of the Chamunda Devi Temple outside the Central jail campus of Chhattisgarh's Raipur is being done by the prisoners of the jail. Speaking to ETV Bharat, the priest of the jail, Pandit Joshi said, "When the temple was started in the old times, a Christian prisoner designed the idols of the Goddess on the walls of the temple, who himself was imprisoned for the murder of his parents and brother. He was a Christian, but he had reverence for Hinduism and its deities."
"That prisoner used to serve Mata Rani to reduce his sins. He used to paint the figures of Gods and Goddesses on the walls to make them beautiful. Over time, the walls collapsed and due to this, the temple had to be renovated. During the renovation, tiles were put on the walls of the temple, due to which the artworks got suppressed. But even today the painting on the walls, cleaning work, electrician work, repairs etc. of the temple are done by the prisoners themselves."
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"While serving the sentence, prisoners are taken out of jail only after investigation. Maintenance and cleanliness works of the temple are done while ensuring a proper security system is in place. The prisoners, who are trustworthy, and are able to keep the faith are chosen for the work of the temple," Pandit Joshi said.
