Updated: December 1, 2020 7:58:27 am
Interior Minister Amit Shah receives a souvenir during his visit to the Bhagyalakshmi Ammavari Temple in Hyderabad. (PTI photo)
On Saturday, Union Interior Minister Amit Shah visited the Bhagyalakshmi temple during a trip to Hyderabad to campaign for the city’s municipal elections. And Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, campaigning in Hyderabad, made an effort to change the city’s name as Bhagyanagar, which BJP leaders claim used to be his name before. “Some people asked me if Hyderabad’s name can be changed to Bhagyanagar. I said why not he said.
Shah is the latest in a line of BJP leaders who have visited Bhagyalakshmi temple during the last days. Some BJP leaders claim that the temple’s name comes from Bhagyanagar.
What is the Bhagyalakshmi temple?
It is a small temple dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi, adjacent to the southeast mine of Charminar. Made of bamboo poles and tarps, it has a tin roof and the southeast minar forms its rear wall. There is no definitive version on exactly how and when it arose, but it has been there since at least the 1960s. Secunderabad MP G Kishan Reddy claimed that the temple predates Charminar, whose construction began in 1591.
Sources from the Archaeological Survey of India said that the temple encroaches on the protective perimeter of Charminar. Authorities say a small guard pillar erected to protect the monument from vehicles was found painted in saffron sometime in the 1960s and some people began performing aarti there. When a state trucking bus struck the guard pillar and damaged it, a small bamboo structure was built overnight and the idol of the goddess was placed.
“After that incident, the shrine began to expand one or two feet during each festival until the High Court ordered the police to stop any expansion in 2013,” said Mohammed Shabbir Ali, leader of the opposition in the Telangana Legislative Council. .
A large number of Hindu merchants and businessmen who have shops in the Charminar area visit the temple daily. During festivals, especially Diwali, the temple draws long lines.
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Why is it in the news now?
It is due to the visits of the BJP leaders in the run-up to the elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and the connection being made with the name Bhagyanagar.
On November 18, following instructions from the State Elections Commission (SEC), the Telangana government stopped the distribution of flood relief when the model code of conduct went into effect. The TRS ruling alleged that the BJP’s Telangana chief, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, had written to the SEC complaining against the distribution of relief. Sanjay denied this and challenged the TRS leaders to visit the Bhagyalakshmi temple and take an oath of truth. On November 20, Sanjay himself visited the temple and said under oath that he had not written a complaint to the SEC.
Since then, several BJP leaders have visited the temple, including Amit Shah on Saturday. Shah said his visit was to seek blessings and denied it was symbolic or a statement.
What is the name of Bhagyalakshmi temple?
Devotees associate the name with their belief that praying in the temple brings good luck and fortune. On the other hand, Hindu organizations associate the name with Bhagyanagar. BJP leaders say that Hyderabad was previously known as Bhagyanagar, but Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah changed it to Hyderabad. 📣 Follow Express explained on Telegram
Has the temple been the subject of controversy before?
You have witnessed violence in the past:
# In November 1979, after an armed group seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the MIM called a bandh in the Old City of Hyderabad. As Diwali approached, many Hindu merchants petitioned MIM to allow them to keep their shops open. This resulted in clashes and the Bhagyalakshmi temple was attacked and desecrated.
# In September 1983, banners placed in the temple at the Ganesh festival caused tensions as it was reported that the temple had expanded and that the temple and the Allwyn mosque were attacked.
# In November 2012, clashes broke out following reports that the temple administration was expanding the temple by replacing the bamboo structure with sheets. The then Andhra Pradesh High Court halted any temple construction activity.
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