DEVOTEES UPSET OVER RITUAL OFFERINGS BEING DUMPED IN GARBAGE PILES

10-JUNE-ENG 8

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------Serious questions regarding cleanliness and management have arisen concerning the Mahavir Temple complex at Ramna Maidan, a major center of religious faith and devotion. It is alleged that instead of being disposed of respectfully, the ritual offerings made to the deity are being dumped into piles of garbage.

According to locals, items such as flowers, garlands, Tulsi leaves, foliage, and other ritual materials are being discarded in an area within the temple complex where a heap of waste has already accumulated.

Devotees argue that materials offered to the deity are not merely trash; they are symbols of religious faith and reverence. Discarding them alongside ordinary refuse hurts religious sentiments. People have demanded a system for the separate collection and respectful disposal of ritual offerings.

Local citizens have urged the temple administration to immediately implement a system to segregate ritual offerings from general waste. They also called for the scientific management of organic and inorganic waste, regular cleaning, and proper sanitation arrangements.

People maintain that a temple should not only be a place of worship but also a symbol of religious discipline and cleanliness.

This incident has raised several questions. Devotees are asking why no separate arrangement exists for the respectful disposal of ritual offerings and whether the temple administration is unaware of the situation or has been ignoring it for a long time.

Locals allege that no effective steps have been taken so far to resolve the issue. They state that proper disposal arrangements for ritual offerings are necessary not only at this temple but at other religious sites across the district as well.

Devotees and social activists have demanded immediate intervention from the Bihar State Religious Trust Board, the Bhojpur district administration, and the Ara Municipal Corporation to ensure respect for materials associated with religious faith and to maintain a clean and organized temple complex. A social activist states that these unholy activities are occurring because there is no managing committee for the temple. The temple premises have become a haunt for young couples; boys and girls frequently gather there—especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays—under the guise of visiting the temple to indulge in illicit intimacy. The nearby park offers them an ideal spot to cast aside all decorum and engage in obscene behavior.

Furthermore, the temple receives annual offerings amounting to approximately ₹25 to ₹30 lakh. All this money goes directly into the pocket of the temple's self-appointed *Mahant* (head priest). Any development work or event at the temple is funded separately by the devotees. Not a single penny is paid to the government as income tax by the temple. The district administration should constitute a new temple committee comprising respectable citizens and administrative officials to ensure transparency in temple management and prevent the misappropriation of funds.

That is not all; the flowers and garlands offered to the deity could be dried and processed to manufacture items like incense sticks. This would prevent their misuse while also generating additional revenue.

When contacted, the priest of the temple refuted all the charges