No Temple For God's Craftmen

OutlookIndia

Skilled artisans pour their devotion and craftsmanship into every detail as they bring deities to life, honoring centuries-old traditions. Once the idols are consecrated, these craftsmen step back, respecting the sanctity of the divine forms they’ve created.  Despite Article 17 of the Constitution of India, which was enacted three years after Independence and explicitly forbids the enforcement of any disability arising from the age-old practice of untouchability, such practices often persist, concealed behind ancient customs and religious rituals.  Reporter: Dr. Ashwani Sharma Videographer: Tribhuvan Tiwari Editor: Divya Tiwari  Follow us: Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/ X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia  #Artisans #Idols #Temple #Gods #Craftsmen

Transcript

00:00As we do the work of any of the deities,

00:03when the life of a deity is established after the work is done,

00:09then we are not allowed to touch it.

00:11Whether it is the work of the deities or not,

00:13it is the work of the deities that we are not allowed to touch it later on.

00:18I have been doing this work for the past 16-17 years.

00:30I have been doing this work with my father since the age of 13-14.

00:34When he used to return from school in the morning and evening,

00:36then he used to do this work.

00:38My father still does this work.

00:42He says that as long as I am alive, I will continue to do this work.

00:47I still do this work with great interest.

00:49My younger brother also does this work.

00:51My nephew also works with me.

00:53There are 5-6 more people who work with me.

00:57I have worked in many temples.

00:59There are 40-50 temples in which I have worked.

01:06I also make things for the deities at home.

01:10Whether it is made of silver, brass, or copper,

01:16I make it from my home.

01:20It should not be like this.

01:22Humans are humans.

01:24When we do the work of the deities,

01:26for example, this is a roof.

01:28This is a statue.

01:30Every part of this is the work of the artist.

01:33Our feet are touched in many places.

01:36Our hands are touched.

01:38No matter how hard we make it,

01:42we cannot touch it after the Puran Pratishtha.

01:47Whether we consider it to be the work of God or someone else,

01:51we do not even insist on it.

01:55We eat food once a day.

01:58During the day, we eat fruits, fruits, milk, etc.

02:03In this way, until the work of the deities is completed,

02:07we eat food only once a day.

02:10As soon as the Puran Pratishtha is over,

02:12the work is over.

02:17We believe in the deities.

02:20We believe that this is our work.

02:25After that, we do not even try.

02:29We follow the rules of the temple.

02:33They are also following this.

02:35Because this is an old work.

02:37Our ancestral work should not end.

02:40That is why we want to continue this work.

02:44If there is a temple of the caste people,

02:47for example, this is a temple of such a community

02:50where we are sitting and working.

02:52Anyone can come here.

02:54No one is forbidden here.

02:56For example, the upper caste people,

02:58like Rajputs, Brahmins,

03:01their temple will have a limit.

03:05Such a community cannot come beyond that.

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