Cleanliness drive in Jaipur temples ahead of Ayodhya consecration ceremony

Jaipur: With Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the way by participating in a cleanliness drive in a temple in Nashik, Rajasthan’s politicians and bureaucrats are now enthusiastic about following suit, emulating the PM and cleaning up temple premises in their zones.

A cleanliness campaign titled 'Jago Jaipur, Jagmag Jaipur' has been initiated, intending to be an ongoing project. The Tarkeshwar Mahadev temple, situated in the Jaipur Heritage area amid one of the busiest markets in the old walled Pink City, was one of the first temples to undergo cleaning. Munesh Gujjar, the Mayor of Jaipur Municipal Corporation (Heritage), kickstarted the cleanup drive. The efforts focused on cleaning the walls, floors, and drains surrounding the temple.

Jaipur Heritage Commissioner Abhishek Surana, who participated in the drive, stated that all temples in the Heritage municipal zones would undergo cleaning and revitalization. Efforts were made to raise awareness among the local community about the significance of maintaining cleanliness in temple premises. Members of the Jaipur Market Association were also present and actively participated in the campaign.

Prime Minister Modi cleaned up the temple premises of Kalaram temple in Nashik as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission a few days back, sharing a video of the same.

Interestingly, Rajasthan was among the lowest-ranked states in the central government’s yearly cleanliness survey released last week. Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC), which is divided into two zones, namely JMC (Heritage) and JMC (Greater), were ranked 171 and 173 in this year’s list.

In addition to the temple cleaning initiatives, Jaipur is set to be illuminated on January 22, the day of the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Temples are expected to be adorned and illuminated in honour of Lord Ram. The walled city of Jaipur, often referred to as Choti Kashi, boasts numerous temples within its precincts.

Recently, religious leaders convened in Jaipur under the banner of Maitreyi Sangh and Hindu Temple Development and Restoration Foundation. During the meeting, they pledged to restore and give a facelift to dilapidated temples, including the replacement of damaged idols.

The previous Congress government had unveiled a development package for several temples, including Govind Dev Ji Temple in Jaipur, Pushkar in Ajmer district, and Beneshwar Dham in Dungarpur district. The Govind Dev ji Temple was proposed to be developed at a cost of Rs 100 crore on the lines of Shree Mahabaleshwar Temple corridor in Ujjain.