PM Modi to lay foundation stone for Sant Ravidas temple in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh | 5 points

PM Modi to lay foundation stone of Sant Ravidas temple in MP; BJP expects 2 lakh attendees.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today lay the foundation stone of a temple dedicated to Sant Ravidas in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district. The prime minister will reach Sagar at around 2.15pm where he will perform 'Bhoomi Poojan' at Sant Shiromani Gurudev Shri Ravidas ji Memorial Sthal. He will also participate in a public programme at Dhana where he will lay the foundation stone for Sant Shiromani Gurudev Shri Ravidas ji Memorial.

Representative Image of Sant Ravidas temple and memorial.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is expecting up to 2 lakh people to attend the PM's rally and the foundation laying ceremony for the temple dedicated to Sant Ravidas, reported PTI. The programmes will also mark the culmination of the ruling party's ongoing 'Samrasta (harmony) Yatras', seen as an attempt by the saffron outfit to reach out to Dalits ahead of the crucial polls.

Calling Madhya Pradesh the centre of India's “cultural and spiritual consciousness”, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he has full faith that the project will prove to be a milestone in popularizing the education and thoughts of Sant Ravidas.

All you need to know about Sant Ravidas temple and memorial:

• Sant Ravidas, a 14th-century mystic poet and social reformer, enjoys a nationwide following, especially among a section of Dalits.
• The memorial will be constructed in an area of more than 11.25 acres and at a cost of more than Rs. 100 crores.
• The memorial will have an impressive art museum and gallery to showcase the life, philosophy and teachings of Sant Shiromani Gurudev Shri Ravidas.
• It will also have Bhakt Niwas, and Bhojanalay among other facilities for devotees visiting the memorial.
• Some time back, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government built a ₹3.5-crore Sant Ravidas Temple in the holy town of Maihar in Satna district.