The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Deifying the Father of the Nation

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Thursday, Jul 19, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Deifying the Father of the Nation

J.B.S.Umanadh

Adivappa carries buckets of fresh water, performs ‘abhishekam’ and applies sandal paste to the statue of Gandhi every Friday

Keeping values alive: Kondpur village priest Adivappa Swamy giving Gandhi statue a bath.

Kondapur (Medak): The villagers here revere Gandhi as a god and the village priest, Adivappa Swamy, performs pooja to the statue of the Father of the Nation every Friday without fail after he completes his duties at the nearby Shiva temple.

Adivappa carries buckets of fresh water and performs ‘abhishekam’ to the statue of Gandhi. He even cleans and washes the wide pedestal on which the idol is kept. He applies sandal paste, vermilion and vibhuti on the idol before starting his pooja.

‘Dhyana Gandhi’

Unlike the regular statues of Mahatma Gandhi that we get to see in a standing posture, the idol located at the village crossroads opposite the Panchayat office here is a meditative posture. Gandhi without his trademark spectacles sits in ‘Dhyana mudra’ with a book in his lap with the words “Hare Rama Hare Krishna” chiselled on it.

The statue, which was the brainchild of former sarpanch Venkat Reddy, was erected in 1973.

Venkat Reddy, who was a devout Shiva devotee, asked the village priest, Mahalinga Swamy, father of the present-day priest, to perform pooja to Gandhi every Friday.

Adivappa explained that the sarpanch had chosen Friday as it is considered auspicious to both Hindus and Muslims.

Now the villagers are continuing the tradition.

The village Patel takes care of the expenses for the weekly pooja and also the priest.

Prahlada Reddy, a prominent farmer in the village, said that the tradition is continued hoping that the villagers would emulate the path shown by the Mahatma.

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