After ending Left rule, BJP plans ritual to ‘restore’ Tripura’s identity

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Under Marxist rule, Tripura’s cultural history was gradually ignored...We want to reverse this.

A PERSON FAMILIAR WITH THE MATTER

NEW DELHI: Tripura , which the Communist Party of India (Marxist) ruled for an uninterrupted 25 years, will hold a religious extravaganza at the famous Tripura Sundari temple this Diwali to “restore” the cultural identity of the state now governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two people familiar with the matter said.

A three-day yajna (a ritual to invoke the blessings of the gods) is planned between November 7 and 9 and invitations have gone out to all four Shankaracharyas.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and senior union ministers, too, will be invited,” the first person quoted in the story said on condition of anonymity.

“We are also planning to invite the chief ministers of the northeastern states (too).

It will be a big event to restore the religious and cultural identity of Tripura.”

Tripura Sundari — a temple dedicated to goddess Parvati — is one of the 51 so-called Shakti Peethas, shrines dedicated to goddess Parvati , and a new committee, headed by chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb took over the management of the temple in April this year. Deb became chief minister of Tripura, the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader to occupy the top position, in March. “Under Marxist rule, Tripura’s cultural history was gradually ignored and icons like Marx and Lenin were promoted. We want to reverse this and bring places like Tripura Sundari temple on the world map,” the second person said.

The first person said, “During CPM rule, yajna was not allowed on the temple premises, even as a religious fair is organised every year around Diwali. A yajna under the current regime will also be a manifestation of the change that the state has seen.”

Deb’s officer-on-special duty, Sanjay Mishra, said the state government has finalised a detailed plan to develop the temple in Udaipur district as a world-class destination for religious tourism.

“We are planning to develop Tripura Sundari temple on the lines of Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir. About ₹150 crore will be spent on this.”