Damtal’s Ram Gopal temple ready for a facelift
Rajiv Mahajan
Nurpur, November 6
The administration of ancient Ram Gopal temple at Damtal in Nurpur has chalked out a strategy to revive and conserve its original look. The administration is focusing on the revival of the old Kangra mural paintings and re-construction of the dilapidated temple premises by spending Rs 1.50 crore.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh laid the foundation stone its revival and re-construction project last year.
A Lucknow-based construction company, approved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has undertaken the task of the conservation and revival of the Kangra mural paintings and old heritage of the temple.
SDM Rakesh Prajapati, who is the assistant commissioner of the temple committee, said PhD scholars and students from various universities were visiting the temple to study the ongoing conservation and revival of mural paintings.
He said the renovation-cum-conservation project would complete within two years. Significantly, all mural paintings were depicting the life of Lord Rama.
The temple was built in “Samvat 1550”. Bhagwan Dass, a saint from Pindori Dham in Gurdaspur (Punjab), engrossed himself in the worship of the God. People visited the seer in large numbers. Even the then king of Nurpur visited him and humbly implored for endowment of being blessed with a son. The seer gave blessings to the king that this dynasty would continue to have only one son for seven generations.
Later, the king was blessed with a son. The overjoyed and grateful king donated his fort located at Damtal and adjoining land to the seer. The seer established the idol of Lord Rama and since then the place is famous as Damtal Dham.
