Chhattisgarh: 1000 people of 251 families revert to Sanatan as Judev led “Gharwapsi” continues in tribal heartland

As many as 1000 people of 251 families hailing from different corners of Chhattisgarh have reverted to Sanatan fold in a Gharwapsi ceremony held in Gudiyari area of Raipur of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, January 27.

According to the reports, the ceremony was organised on the third day of Hanumanth Katha organised at the ‘Katha Sthal’ of Pujari of Bageshwr Dham, Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, where Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) State secretary Prabal Pratap Singh Judev welcomes the devotees by washing their feet with the holy water of Ganga.

Speaking to the media, Prabal Pratap Judev, a scion of the Jashpur Royal family who has been at the forefront of similar ceremonies of Gharwapasi in the past as well, asserted that large-scale conversion has taken place in Chhattisgarh and I felt satisfied when these people returned to their bonafide religion.

Meanwhile, praising the efforts of Judev in facilitating the Gharwapsi of such a large number of people, Bageshwar Dham Pujari, Pandit Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, said that around 1021 people are sitting there who under the guidance of Prabal Pratap, made a comeback to the Sanatan fold. You, the people of India, do support us; we will give you a Hindu Rashtra, added Pandit Dhirendra Shastri.”

Recent Gharwapsi Ceremonies

It is worth mentioning here that, of late, a number of similar ceremonies have been organised in separate parts of the State as well. Earlier, in a similar event held in Surguja district, as many as 140 members of a total of 28 families who were earlier converted to Christianity under the influence of certain groups or individuals reverted to Sanatan.

According to the information received, a ‘Sant Sammelan’ along with a ‘Vishva Shanti Mahayajna’ was organised on the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary of revered social reformer and founder of Arya Samaj, Swami Dayanand Sarasawati, where hundreds of returnees who had earlier adopted the Christian religion reverted to Sanatan.

“Those who are converted are basically Hindus and it is our paramount duty to bring them back to their bona-fide religion, Gharwapsi is my soul”, said Akhil Bhartiya Gharwapsi Abhiyan Pramukh, Prabal Pratap Judev who welcomed the returnees by washing their feet with the holy Gangajal.

“We will not let the impasse of tearing us apart from our ancestors succeed for sure, and the Gharwapsi campaign will go forward with all might”, informed Judev futher in a tweet on the social media platform X.

It is worth mentioning here that a day before the ceremony held at Ambikapur, as many as eight families who had earlier converted to Christianity also reverted to Sanatan Dharma in another Gharwapsi ceremony held in Patthalgaon of Jashpur region in Chhattisgarh on Friday, December 29.

Members of Arya Samaj, Dharm Jagran and Kilkileshwar Dham Nyas were among the attendees, where once again Prabal Pratap Judev welcomed the returnees by washing their feet in Kilkileshwar Dham, a revered Ashram in Pathalgaon of Chhattisgarh.

Furthermore, as many as 101 families were officially re-instated into the Sanatan fold after they were welcomed by the workers of the Dharm Sena, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and Arya Samaj in a Samaj Pramukh Samman Sammelan organised in Korba district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday, December 24.

The programme, which was attended by a number of heads of the respective communities who were honoured by the representatives of Dharm Sena was concluded with a resolve to stop conversion and to welcome those who are willing to return to the Sanatan Dharma.

Gharwapsi Campaign

It is to be noted that Prabal’s father and former Union Minister, Dilip Singh Judev, commenced the Gharwapsi Campaign in late nineties with the aim of facilitating the comeback of those who had embraced Christianity or any other religion by leaving the Sanatan fold under the influence of any groups or individual.

The campaign commenced by Dilip Judev turned out to be a grand success, ultimately witnessing the homecoming of thousands of such people from the remote regions of Sarguja and Bilaspur.

Walking on the path shown by his father, Prabal Judev too has been organising similar Ghar wapsi campaigns, which have ultimately paved the way for the return of thousands in the Sanatan fold.

Recently, in a public gathering in Raipur, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai himself, while highlighting the contribution of revered Dilip Singh Judev, asserted that it was due to his efforts that his hometown Jashpur was saved from the menace of conversion.