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A Dalit presides over the unique traditions of a Krishna temple in Gujarat
Jhanjharka town in Ahmedabad district of Gujarat is no place for prophets
of doom. They will find no stories of caste war and religious hatred here.
Indeed, it is a town so convivial that in some ways it is boring. For the
prophets of peace though, this is a town of great fascination, always worth
visiting. And not just because of the social amity that has existed for
generations. But because of a temple that is perhaps like no other in this
country.
To put it simply, Maharaj Baldevdasji, the resident priest of the Krishna
temple, is not a Brahmin. Defying all tenets of Hindu tradition, the
temple is headed by a Dalit. Amazing, because untouchability still persists
in rural Gujarat. It is, therefore, an unusual sight to see Brahmins,
Rajputs, Banias and the powerful Patels congregating at the temple and
reverently touching Baldevdasji's feet. There is no rancour here, just the
simple acceptance of the fact that for two centuries, the head priest of
the temple has been an untouchable.
And the feeling has percolated down to other sections of Jhanjharka.
"Thanks to the influence of the temple, this area is completely free from
caste discrimination," says Balwantsinh Jhala, a Rajput farmer.
"Baldevdasji is the spiritual guide for many members of the upper castes."
All manner of people come to worship at the temple, and the poor never
return without a good meal. "We continue to hold the view that the way to
God is through the stomach of the poor and the hungry," says Baldevdasji,
whose forefather served God by feeding people seven generations ago.
Around 500 people have free meals at the temple every day.
The Gujarati New Year's Day, which falls on the day after Diwali, is an
especially happy occasion at Jhanjharka. For the 30,000 devotees who flock
to the temple that day, it is an experience in social harmony. The
celebrations may consist of Hindu rituals, but it is a Muslim who kicks off
the day's proceedings. Rukmuddin Mohammad arrives at the temple early in
the morning with a band of Muslims and a troupe singing bhajans. He is
received at the gates by Baldevdasji. After the welcome, Mohammad climbs up
the flagpole in the temple complex and hoists a white flag stamped with
Islam's crescent. Only then do other programmes follow.
Mohammad is not just a randomly chosen Muslim. He is linked to the temple.
and Baldevdasji, by history. The tradition of the white flag harks back to
the British times when Mohammad's ancestor, an officer in the government's
revenue department, became a devotee of Baldevdasji's forefather, Savgun
Maharaj or Savaiyyanath, the first Dalit priest of the temple. Acrimony
between the Hindus and the Muslims has not diminished the commonality that
these two have found in a temple. "For me it is a question of faith and
tradition. I am proud of it," says Mohammad.
Savgun Maharaj, whose life is the subject of bardic perorations now, was
buried in 1830 at the spot where the temple stands today. Legend has it
that the spiritually inclined Maharaj met a Vaishnav saint called Tulsinath
when still a kid. He received religious instruction from him. Later,
Maharaj and his wife Meghama began to be regarded as saints for the work
they did during the droughts that regularly plagued the region. The two
would sell the crop that grew on their farm and use the money to provide
meals for the starving people. Their innate goodness was such that they
spared no effort, even walking for days, to take food to the drought-stricken.
Maharaj's great-grandson Govindramji built a fortress-like haveli and
installed within the small Krishna idol that had been given to Maharaj by
Tulsinath. It was only in 1981 that Baldevdasji built a more conventional
Sikhara style temple there. High caste devotees, a Dalit priest and Muslim
connections-Jhanjharka seems to have been caught in a time warp. It is
incredible, yet at the same time, it is a reminder that all is not lost for
our fractured society.
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