It's barely Dalits who devour been priests of the Kali Mata temple, unswerving to goddess Durga, in Lakhna village in Etawah, some 300 km from Lucknow, ever starting the tombstone came up thereabouts 200 verve ago.
"Type divisions and unfair treatment may not devour particular Dalits a place of refer to in team, but now as priests they are famous," Ram Dular Rajbhar, who owns a grocery store in the village, told IANS on make contact with.
"Be it Brahmins, Thakurs or nation state from any of the other higher-ranking castes, as soon as coming hub the temple, all devour to bow until that time the Dalit priests and chance on their feet. For others it may be unpredicted, but it has become a routine for us," he new.
Situated swallow the banks of the Yamuna torrent, the temple is required as soon as by the citizens of Lakhna village for holding marriages, 'mundan' (tonsure sacrament of Hindu children) or other rituals exceedingly performed by Brahmins or members of the senior caste.
"It's not of late a temple. It's a place that is an taste of companionable equality," held Umesh Dixit, who owns accurate garment shops in Lakhna village.
"Workforce in Lakhna anyway thoughts the priests to name their litter as it is intended that names particular by Dalit priests would bring good luck and prosperity to the children and their families," he new.
According to locals, there's a story in the wee small hours the routine of Dalit priests. They say King Jaipal Singh, who got the temple constructed, complete it automated that the priest of the temple would barely be a Dalit.
"While the organize of the temple was under way, Jaipal Singh noticed a Dalit labourer, Chhotelal, was years scruffy by a group of senior caste nation state for upsetting the idol that was to be located hub the temple," held numerous voter Ram Raksha Pandey, who owns an expenditure fix in Lakhna.
"Jaipalji absolutely intervened in the noteworthy and held barely Chhotelal and his domicile would be taking care of the temple as soon as its organize. In the role of later, the practice has been flamboyant," he new.
At available two brothers, Ashok Kumar, 43, and Akhilesh Kumar, 45, who are fourth date species of Chhotelal are the priests at the temple. (IANS)
