BJP MLA wants ASI to remove dargah from Jogulamba temple

Hyderabad: Amidst the controversy of Gyanvyapi Shiv Ling, a BJP MLA from Telangana has raised the issue of dargah in a temple premises in Shaktipeeth Jogulamba temple demanding immediate removal of the non-Hindu religious construction.

The BJP MLA Raja Singh wrote to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) bringing to light the issue of dargah in the temple premises in Jogulamba temple in Jogulamba Gadwal district.

Raja Singh said that the Jogulamba temple is one of the old Hindu temples dedicated to Goddess Jogulamba, a form of Shakti located in Alampur of Jogulamba Gadwal district in Telangana.

The BJP MLA said that the temple was one of the Maha Shakti Peethas, a group of eighteen (Ashtadasa) temples considered the most significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism and is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra river near its confluence with Krishna River. He said that Jogulamba Temple was located in the same complex as that of the Navabrahma Temples, a group of nine Shiva temples built in the seventh-eighth century.

He recalled, the temple was included under the PRASAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation Advancement Drive) scheme of the Government of India in 2019 and was being maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, Hyderabad Circle.

The BJP MLA said that the temple was being visited by most of the Hindus all over India as it is a Maha Shakti Peetham. It is observed that, long back there is a dargah appeared all of the sudden in the temple premises and a 'Kaman' constructed overnight. But, there was no action initiated by the government departments for the illegal encroachment into Hindu religious temples.

The MLA requested the authorities to look into the matter and remove the non-Hindu religious constructions in the ancient Jogulamba Shakti Peetham premises at the earliest as a token of respect for Hindus in the secular India, as the temple is being under the control of ASI.