Hindu centres of faith were left humiliated for years, but Modi govt restoring their glory: Shah

He said earlier people used to be ashamed of visiting temples, but a new era began with the Modi government. Shah was speaking here at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Umiyadham temple, dedicated to Maa Umiya, the reigning deity of the Kadva Patidar sect. The temple and other buildings are being built a cost of Rs 1,500 crore on 74,000 square yards of land.

''For many years, the centres of faith of the Hindu community were left humiliated, and nobody took the initiative to bring the glory back until Modi came to power at the Centre with full majority,'' he said while addressing a gathering. Shah mentioned the Kashi Vishwanath corridor project at Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh that Modi will inaugurate on December 13, and the foundation stone ceremony of Rs 150 crore Vindhyachal Corridor Project (VCP) in Mirzapur that he performed in August this year.

''Today, as the foundation stone laying ceremony of a grand temple is being performed by Arya samaji (Governor of Gujarat) Acharya Devvrat, I would like to say that Modiji has worked fearlessly and with faith and respect for the renovation of our forgotten centres of faith,'' Shah said.

The PM unveiled the statue of Adi Shankaracharya and revived the centre of faith of crores of Hindus at Kedarnath temple after the region was devastated by flash floods in 2013, he added.

''We will see the renovation of Kashi Vishwanath temple at the hands of (PM) Narendrabhai on December 13 that was destroyed in the era of Aurangzeb,'' he said.

According to Shah, three months ago he himself laid the foundation stone for the construction of a grand temple of Hindu Goddess Ma Vindhyavashini at Mizapur in Uttar Pradesh, as the idol of the deity was hidden in a house due to the fear of attacks by Muslim invaders.

''We have seen how earlier people would be ashamed of visiting a temple. But a new era began in the country after Narendrabhai performed 'ganga aarti' after rubbing the ashes of Kashi Vishwanath following an invite by the President (to form the government at the Centre),'' the minister said. Shah said temples have not just been religious centres, but they are also centres of social service and centres of energy for those disappointed with life to get over their difficulties and move ahead.

On the occasion, the BJP leader praised the Patidar community and said the history of the upliftment of Gujarat and the country is linked to the community. ''If we link the upliftment of the Patidar community to that of Gujarat, then two graphs run parallel. Contribution of the Patidar community in the development of Gujarat will be written in golden letters whenever the history of the development of Gujarat is written, I have no doubt about this,'' he said.

He also said that other organisations should learn from the Umiya Mata temple trust, which has set up a social and scientific system, where contributions from donors from the community are used to construct temples and ensure that nobody remains deprived.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, former deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, Governor Acharya Devvrat and others took part in the beginning of the three-day foundation-stone laying ceremony. PM Modi will attend the foundation stone laying ceremony virtually on December 13. Apart from the Umiyadham temple, the trust, which runs the main temple in Unjha, will also build a 13-storey complex adjacent to the temple to provide training as well as hostel facility to Patidar youths preparing for the UPSC and GPSC entrance tests.