Pran Pratishtha of Shiv Mandir performed in Arunachal Capital

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Itanagar: The Prana Pratishtha of a Shiv Mandir in the F & G sector here was performed on Wednesday.

The temple, constructed in 1992 by one Marrik (Marpek) Dirchi of Pale village of present Lower Siang district, remained closed due to Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Dirchi was the pandit of the mandir and was a strong devotee of Lord Shiva. He also chanted mantras during the foundation stone laying ceremony of the temple in 1992. He performed havans and invoked Lord Shiva's blessing in the mandir. He had deep knowledge of Sanskrit scriptures and was fluent in English and Hindi too.

Legend has it that after the invocation, a naag baba (cobra) appeared in the mandir.

Marrik, who died in 2017 at the age of 55, gifted his private government-allotted land just adjacent to the mandir to Nyabi Jini Dirchi and also authorised her to look after the affairs of the temple.

Since then, Nyabi has arranged a pandit, and the temple opened in 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it remained closed.

Recently, Nyabi decided to re-open the temple and completely renovated it with provisions for power and water supply, a washroom, and a small room for the priest to stay in.

Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP) president Katung Wahge, who attended the pran pratistha event, said IFCSAP, since its inception, has been trying to preserve the cultures and traditions.

"We feel that we are going to achieve our goal, as now everyone knows how to safeguard their religion," he said.

Waghe said that to promote the culture, heritage, and traditions of the Tani group, the Donyi Polo Cultural Charitable Trust has been formed to wean away the young generation from being engrossed in modern gadgets in this digital age.

In this regard, the Nyibu Nyigam Yerko (East Kameng), Menjwk Menkok Rwgu (Leparada), and Nilung Tungko (Siang) have been established to teach our children about the traditional ways of life in addition to modern education, he said.

He said the IFCSAP, in association with its affiliated body, Donyi Polo Cultural Charitable Trust, has come up with a model to prepare Nyibo/Nyibus (shamans) in these indigenous schools.

Children studying in classes 3-4 are more proficient than us and know traditional ways of living, Wahge said.

We have entered into a memorandum of understanding with VKVs and other schools. The children will be taught medical and engineering like in other schools. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the balance between traditional and modern education, he added.

Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu Affirms Commitment to Preserve and Promote Indigenous Culture

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