SUHRAWARDY UDYAN

• Recently, the Indian President has inaugurated the reconstructed Ramna Kali temple in Ramna, Dhaka (Bangladesh), where the landmark Suhrawardy Udyan (the former Ramna Race Course) is located.
• The inauguration of the reconstructed Ramna Kalibari coincided with the 50th anniversary of the victory of Bangladesh and India in the Liberation War, which also marks the golden jubilee of the bilateral relations between the two sides.

Important points:

• The temple was destroyed by Pakistani forces during their Operation Searchlight in March 1971, the brutal crackdown that led to the genocide and the Bangladesh War of Liberation.
• In March 1971, West Pakistan led a genocide in East Pakistan to suppress calls for Bengali self-determination. East Pakistan fought and won to establish the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. India played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s freedom struggle.
• After Bangladesh got rid of Pakistan, a small temple was set up at the site for people to offer prayers.
• A reconstruction of the complex was announced in 2017, when then Indian External Affairs Minister inaugurated 15 development projects in Baridhara, Dhaka.
• The historic Ramna Kali temple is a symbol of the spiritual and cultural bonding among the people of India and Bangladesh.

Ramna Kali Temple:

• The temple in the area, dedicated to the Goddess Kali, is believed to have been built during the Mughal period. It is believed to be 400 years old, even though it is difficult to pinpoint a year in which it was built.
• The temple was built by a Hindu sect, but it is difficult to identify exactly who built it. However, it is said that it was built by a certain Haricharan Giri who was a mahant in the temple.
• It was not a very large temple, and was fairly ordinary in terms of its architecture. However, it is the second oldest Hindu temple in Bangladesh, the Dhakeshwari Temple being the oldest.
• The temple gained prominence in the early 20th century when the renowned saint Ma Anandamayi built her ashram in its precincts.
• Anandamayi was popularly addressed as “Shahbag-er ma”, or the Mother of Shahbag.

SOURCE: THE HINDU,THE ECONOMIC TIMES,MINT