Bakrid festival is being celebrated across the country today. During this period, the Durga Mata temple located in the historical Durgadi Fort located in Kalyan, Maharashtra has been kept temporarily closed. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena and Eknath Shinde faction have expressed their displeasure over keeping the temple closed and have opposed it. Actually, their demand is that devotees should be allowed to ring the bells and have darshan in the temple. In such a situation, let us know when the temple of Maa Durga present in Durgadi Fort was built and its beliefs?
First of all, let’s talk about why the controversy arose over ringing bells in the temple on the occasion of Bakrid? In fact, on the occasion of Bakrid, Namaz is offered in the fort area, so to avoid possible tension, the administration closed the roads leading to the fort. Uddhav and Shinde group have not liked this thing of the administration. His demand is that permission should be given to ring the bell (Ghantanaad) in the temple during namaz. For the first time, BJP also decided to protest against the demands of Uddhav and Shinde faction of Shiv Sena.
At the same time, to ensure that BJP does not participate in this Ghantaanad movement, Manpada police took the party’s municipal servant Mahesh Patil into custody. Shiv Sena leaders are alleging that this issue has been a cause of conflict since 1986 and even now the administration is taking care of the religious sentiments of a particular community and our rights are being violated.
When did the Ghantanaad movement tradition start?
The Ghanta Naad movement tradition was started under the leadership of Balasaheb Thackeray and Dharamveer Anand Dighe. This tradition has been going on continuously for 40 years. Even after the split of Shiv Sena, both the groups try to visit the temple every year, but on the occasion of Bakrid, namaz is offered in the fort area, hence this dispute arises.
History of Durgadi Fort and Maa Durga Temple
Durgadi fort is built on the banks of Ulhas river in the welfare of the state. This fort was built in the 16th century during the Adilshahi reign. Its purpose was to keep an eye on Kalyan Bay and trade routes. Meanwhile Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj defeated Adilshah. Hoisted the victory flag on this strategic area and established control over the area.
There is a popular folklore about the temple of Mata Durga that when Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was rebuilding the fort, he had found a secret treasure from the fort. Shivaji Maharaj considered this treasure as the blessing of Mother Durga and took a vow to build a temple of Mata Rani on the top of the fort. After this the construction of the temple started and after completion the name of the fort was also changed. ‘Durgadi Fort’ was named after Mata Rani. This Durga Mata temple is considered a symbol of the bravery of the Maratha Empire. Regarding this, it is also said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had started his first naval campaign.
A huge fair is organized in the area of Durgadi Fort.
Thousands of devotees reach the temple present in Durgadi Fort to have darshan of Maa Durga. Every year a grand festival is celebrated here on the occasion of Navratri and a huge fair is organized. Crowds of devotees gather in this event. The special thing about the temple is that it remains open for the devotees from morning till night. However, after the afternoon and night aarti, the doors of the temple of Mata Rani are closed for some time as she takes rest.
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