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Residents vow to save Girgaon Vitthal temple facing demolition

In 2010, a private builder came up with a plan to redevelop the area and replace the heritage structure of the temple with a small new structure built on a drainage pipeline.

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Vitthal mandir in Vaidyawadi near Girgaon
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For the last two years, residents of Thakurdwar, Girgaon, have been celebrating Ekadashi on a low key due to the ongoing court case to demolish the 250-year-old Vitthal temple in Vaidyawadi.

In 2010, a private builder came up with a plan to redevelop the area and replace the heritage structure of the temple with a small new structure built on a drainage pipeline.

However, not to lose their temple, residents of Thakurdwar joined hands to conserve it. Pravin Dhotre (55) and Shaila Gore (65) were the first ones to stand up and raise their voice against the move to pull down the temple. They also encouraged others to make a concerted effort to conserve the heritage structure.

Owing to the ongoing court case, the temple cannot organise any cultural festival on its premises except for Ekadashi.

Gore said, "I have been leaving here since 1980. Every year we used to have different cultural festivals in the temple. But since the case is going on, the door of the temple is open for only some time of the day. Even before celebrating Ekadashi, we need to take permission from the high court."

According to the residents, due to the redevelopment plan, devotees visiting the temple have to show their identity proof before entering the temple premises.

"There is a board put up outside the temple gate which states that a person needs to show an identity proof to enter the temple premises. After last year's Ekadashi celebration, bamboos have been installed inside the temple to obstruct visitors' movement. We don't want the old structure to be demolished. It is one of the heritage structures in the city, which we need to preserve. They should maintain the dilapidated structure of the temple rather than demolishing it," said Dhotre, who has filed the petition in the court to stop demolition of the temple.

According to the history of the temple, a resident of Thakurdwar, Vithal Pillaj, and his wife Jankubai Pillaj built it some 250 years ago. The couple did this to honour the wish of their sister-in-law, who wanted to build a temple dedicated to Lord Vithoba and his wife Rakhumai but couldn't live long enough to do so.

Talking about the recent Ashadi Ekadashi celebration, Anand Sawant, president of Vitthal Rakhumai Seva Samithi, said, "Last year, the high court stayed demolition of the temple. But we need to take the court's permission to celebrate Ekadashi inside the temple premises. Last year as well as this year, we took permission from the court to organise the festival."

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