Nritya Gopal Das

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das is the head of Ayodhya's largest temple, the Mani Ram Das Ki Chavani, and the chief of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, bodies formed to undertake the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He was one the accused in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition. He is also the head of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Nyas.

Mahant Nritya Gopal Das
Mahant Nritya Gopal Das during the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pooja
Personal
Born (1938-06-11) 11 June 1938
Kerhala/Kahola village, Mathura district, India
ReligionHinduism
Religious career
GuruMahant Ram Manohar Das
Honors

Background

He was born in 1938 in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh.[1][2] After passing his class tenth exams in 1953 he took admission in a college in Mathura to study commerce, but soon left for Ayodhya when he was 12,[2] before completing his studies. In Ayodhya, he became a disciple of Mahant Ram Manohar Das and graduated with a Shastri (degree) from Sanskrit University in Varanasi. In 1965, at the age of 27 he became a mahant, succeeding the sixth mahant of the Shri Mani Ram Das Chavni (Chhoti Chavani).[1] The temple is one of the main religious and spiritual attractions of the city, and everyday Mahant Nritya Gopal Das meets hundreds of pilgrims. He is credited with the construction of temples including Ramayan Bhavan and Shri Char Dham temple. He runs the "Maniram Chhawni" where 500 sadhus stay.[2] He has been actively associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement since 1984.[2] He took over as the head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas in 2003 and is currently the head of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra.[1] He was one the accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.[3][4] He is also the head of the Shri Krishna Janambhoomi Trust.[5]

Mark Tully narrates a meeting with Mahant Nritya Gopal Das in 1992 in his book India In Slow Motion:[6]

The mahant insisted that although he was the vice-president of the trust established by the VHP to build their Rama temple, he had nothing to do with politics. […] Broad shoulders, with the arms of a wrestler, and the torso of a man who no longer exercised with the vigour of his youth, Nritya Gopal Das had the dishvelled appearance most sadhus cultivate. His borad forehead was smeared with orange paste, his oily greying hair, faintly coloured with henna, fell down to his shoulders, his beard was untrimmed, the white cotton robe wrapped round him creased. But he was a man used to commanding respect.

Mark Tully describes how the Mahant explained the pluralism of worshiping Rama, "that is the Hindu tradition, where there have always been different ways to worship Rama, and everyone is welcome to worship as they like."[6] Dibyesh Anand[7] recalls in an interview with Mahanat Das that initially the Mahant spoke about "how Hindus and Muslims are brothers and if only the Muslims gave away certain mosques, there would be harmony in India"; but when Dibyesh mentioned he was a Brahmin, the Mahant's tone changed and he "lamented how it is not only Muslims but "neech jati ke log" (lower caste people) who have created all the problems".[8]

On 13 August 2020, he tested positive for COVID-19.[9][10]

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References
  1. Uprety, Ajay (6 November 2019). "Who is Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, head of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas". The Week (published 16 December 2018). Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  2. Bakshi, Gorky (2020-02-20). "Ram Mandir Trust appoints Nritya Gopal Das as Chairman, Champat Rai as General Secretary". Jagranjosh.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  3. "Outlook India Photo Gallery - Mahant Nritya Gopal Das". Outlook India. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  4. Iyer, Aishwarya S. (2020-02-20). "2 Accused of Babri Masjid Demolition Now Part of Ram Mandir Trust". TheQuint. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  5. "Coronavirus | Ram temple trust head Mahant Nritya Gopal Das tests positive for COVID-19". The Hindu. 2020-08-13. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  6. Tully, Mark (2017-11-22). "Chapter: The Reinvention of Rama". India In Slow Motion. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5118-097-5.
  7. "Dibyesh Anand profile". Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  8. Anand, D. (2016-04-30). "Hindus: A Divided Nation". Hindu Nationalism in India and the Politics of Fear. Springer. p. 1974. ISBN 978-0-230-33954-5.
  9. Jaiswal, Anuja (13 August 2020). "Mahant Nritya Gopal Das: Ram Mandir trust head Mahant Nritya Gopal Das tests positive for coronavirus". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  10. Pandey, Alok (13 August 2020). Varma, Shylaja (ed.). "Ram Temple Trust Head Tests Covid +ve, Shared Stage With PM In Ayodhya". NDTV. PTI. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
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