Ayodhya's Karsewak Puram: The Guava Orchard Which Acted As Ram Bhakts' Hideout

Once a dense guava orchard and a safe hideout for ‘Ram bhakts’ and ‘karsewaks’ during the Ram temple movement, Karsewak Puram is all geared up to celebrate the homecoming of Lord Ram on Monday.

News18 spoke to old-timers on the transformation of the area from a guava orchard to Karsewak Puram.

THE RICH PAST

“Karsewak Puram may not be very old, but it has a rich past related to the Ram Temple movement. Karsewak Puram holds a distinct place in my heart. It is as important as the temple movement. It’s the place that fuelled the movement and kept it going through all odds,” said Rampal Prajapati, a native of Gayatri Nagar in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district, who came to Ayodhya in 1984 and decided to devote his entire life to serving lord Ram.

Prajapati, who was a state government employee, came to the area with 60 other Ram bhakts. “It was for the first time I visited Ayodhya. I burst into tears seeing the lord lying locked amid controversy. We took a sankalp to make him free and rebuild the temple. Back then, I was a state government employee in a degree college. All my colleagues left, but I decided to stay on till a temple is built. It’s been 34 years now,” recollected Prajapati.

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THE 1990 AYODHYA FIRING INCIDENT & GUAVA ORCHARD

Until the 1980s, he said, the rallies, meetings of karsewaks and sankalp meetings used to take place either on the banks of river Saryu or in secluded areas. “Until then, there was no dedicated place for the karsewaks to assemble,” he added.

However, the 1990 firing incident turned out to be a turning point, which resulted in the formation of Karsewak Puram. “In the late 1990s, the temple movement was at its peak. I too was a part of it. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Shiv Sena and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) began camping at the Ram Janmabhoomi site, demanding reconstruction of the temple. At the same time, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani began the ‘rath yatra’ and other right-wing organisations gave a call to reach Ayodhya,” he said.

However, in retaliation, then Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav issued strict instructions, stating that “no bird would be able to fly in Ayodhya”. “The CM’s statement moved us all and karsewaks from the country decided to head towards Ayodhya,” he added.

On October 30, 1990, on the call of the VHP, RSS and Shiv Sena, a good majority of karsewaks reached Ayodhya. “During the confrontation, the UP Police opened fire resulting in the deaths of karsewaks. Within 72 hours, on November 2, the UP Police again opened fire after which Karsewak Puram, which was till then a guava orchard and low-lying area on the banks of Saryu, served as a hideout spot. I remember how hundreds of karsewaks ran into the orchard to escape the atrocities of police,” he added.

NAMED KARSEWAK PURAM IN 1993

“In 1993, the VHP-backed Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, an independent trust, acquired nearly 45 acres in Ayodhya, including the guava orchard. It was later named as Karsewak Puram to honour the karsewaks who contributed selflessly to the Ram temple movement,” a local Hrinath Chaubey told News18.

Karsewak Puram is a well-established area today. In a gated complex, a photograph of Ashok Singhal, a former VHP president and a pivotal figure in the temple movement, is prominently displayed. It also houses VHP headquarters, offices, guesthouses, a school, gaushala, a grand community dining hall named Sita Rasoi.

THE BATTLEGROUND

People who hail from Karsewak Puram said: “It’s the place from where the Ram temple movement was fought. It’s a pious place and we are fortunate that we are living here. We will celebrate the homecoming of Lord Ram in a big way,” said Rishikesh Shukla, a local who hails from Karsewak Puram.

TRIBUTE TO KARSEWAKS

Another local said Karsewak Puram holds a distinct position in Ayodhya. “When Ram ji is coming home and the temple is set to be inaugurated, it is time for us to celebrate and pay tribute to thousands of karsewaks who contributed to the Ram temple,” said Vinod Kumar Pandey, another local from Karsewak Puram, who has decorated his house ahead of the pran pratishtha.