By Shubhomoy Sikdar / The Hindu
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat visited the Mata Kaushalya Temple at Chandkhuri on the outskirts of Raipur in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, on the invitation of the ruling Congress.
Mr. Bhagwat was here for an RSS’ coordination meeting that concluded on Monday.
The Kaushalya Temple, renovated by the government in 2020, is one of the many projects through which Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is portraying a connect between his government and Hindu deities and symbols. The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has all along accused the government of trying to politicise religious symbols. In the specific context of the Chandrakhuri temple, BJP leaders have even questioned the validity of the claim that Chandrakhuri was the birthplace of Ma Kaushalya, the mother of Lord Ram.
“We had invited Mohan Bhagwat ji to visit Mata Kaushalya temple. I am sure he must have felt a sense of peace upon reaching there. He must have realised the new form of the temple, the love of Maa Kaushalya and the power of Bhancha Ram,” tweeted Mr. Baghel after Mr. Bhagwat concluded his visit. The Chhattisgarhi word bhancha (nephew) is a term of endearment signifying the close association of Lord Ram with the region through maternal ties.
Through another tweet, Mr. Baghel invited the RSS chief to visit the Gauthan or cow protection centres and Swami Atmanand English medium schools where “Sanskrit was a compulsory subject”.
This story was originally published in thehindu.com . Read the full story here
