Almost 2,000 kilometres away from the buzz in Ayodhya, Ramadevarabetta, another temple dedicated to Lord Rama on a hillock in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district, is in focus, but for different reasons – development work ordered by a Muslim MLA.
“Lord Rama is eternally powerful, benevolent and does not discriminate on the basis of religion or people. My name is Iqbal Ansari. I am a devotee of Lord Rama. I am a Muslim and have been elected as an MLA from the sacred land of Ramanagara,” the Congress leader told News18.
Locals believe that Lord Rama, while in exile with Sita and Lakshmana, installed the ‘Linga’ in Ramadevarabetta.
Close to this hillock is also the place where the famous Hindi movie ‘Sholay’ was shot.
THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Sharing exclusive details on how he plans to build the Ram temple in the south, Ansari says that one may refer to God by different names — Rama, Krishna, Brahma, Eshwar or Allah — but ultimately there is only one being.
“When I won this election as an MLA from Ramanagara, I went to Ramadevarabetta and sought blessings from Lord Rama. I thanked God for giving me so much — the strength to fight the election and winning the seat. I am indebted to Rama and the people,” he told News18.
My name is Iqbal Ansari. I am a devotee of Lord Rama. I am a Muslim and have been elected as an MLA from the sacred land of Ramanagara…My wish is to have a beautiful and alluring idol of Rama placed in this temple…
“I worship all Gods. Lord Rama is my family God. As a student, we worshipped and held pujas for Goddess Saraswati, Lakshmi and Ganesha. I have also performed a puja for Lord Rama,” he added.
Ansari told this reporter that one of the first grants that he cleared on receiving his MLA funds on Friday was allocating Rs 50 crore for development of Ram Mandir in Ramadevarabetta.
“It will be utilised for development of roads towards the Ram temple, shelter for people, railings for people like the elderly and women who need support to climb up to the betta (hillock). We need to set up toilets, parking area and resting shelters as well as refreshment areas for devotees,” he said, adding that safeguards such as railings and seating arrangements will be made, as there are nearly 500 steps to ascend to the Ram Mandir in Ramadevarabetta.
RAMOTSAVA
According to the MLA, plans are afoot to hold Ramotsava (a festival in honour of Rama) in Ramanagara on a grand scale.
Ansari said that a detailed plan on how to conduct the first-ever event in accordance with religious ceremonies is being chalked out. “My wish is to have a beautiful and alluring idol of Rama placed in this temple. I hope God gives me the strength to build a Ram temple in Ramdevarabetta so magnificent that every visitor is mesmerised,” he said, adding that directions from elders and religious heads will be sought.
He said that the Ramotsava would be an event that would blur all religious, cultural and party differences.
‘AYODHYA OF THE SOUTH’
In 2023, the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had announced that a ‘majestic’ Ram temple would be built at Ramadevarabetta. An allocation of Rs 425 crore for the temple construction was sanctioned by the then BJP government to make it the “Ayodhya of the South”. Bommai had made the announcement while presenting the 2023-24 state budget.
Calling the BJP’s move a “pure political gimmick”, Ansari sought an explanation from senior BJP leaders Ashwath Narayan and Bommai on the steps they took.
“They released a blueprint for the sake of elections to play with the sentiments of people. Ask them to cross their heart and say they have done anything for Ramdevarabetta to make it the Ayodhya of the South? They have not even allotted or spent one rupee to start building the temple complex,” Ansari told News18.
Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader C N Ashwath Narayan, who was the first to propose building of a temple on a 19-acre land in Ramanagara, said, “The Congress has done nothing, but put brakes on all good decisions taken when the BJP was in power.”
Narayan said that the BJP announced in the budget, made budgetary allocations and appointed a private company to design the temple. “What has the Congress done? Nothing. Just put it in cold storage. If they do not build the Rama Temple at Ramadevarabetta like we envisioned, we will come there and build it ourselves,” Narayan said.
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