Only men can offer prayers at this temple built for nightwatchman

BELAGAVI:Actors, politicians, sportspersons and even former US president Donald Trump have temples built for them in India. So does a village nightwatchman, Ravalkatta Baba, who used to guard the tiny hamlet Sangargali in Belagavi district of Karnataka some six decades ago.

People of Sangargali always appreciated a good nightwatch as the sparsely populated village sits in the middle of a dense jungle. When Ravalkatta Baba came for work, the people were naturally pleased. As time went by, Baba’s status began to change in their eyes, from that of a guard to a ‘mystic’.

The village lore is rife with stories about his ‘mystical powers’ — he once stopped a train where there was no stoppage! Nearly a year after his death, the people of Sangargali built a small temple where the Baba used to rest after taking rounds at night. The structure is an open platform with just a lamp, which devotees would light when they visit the temple.

The rules of worship at the temple are different and rare. The board in Marathi hanging at the entrance bars women from entering the premises. Nor can the women have the prasadam. For the same reason, men are banned from taking the prasadam home. The rules also insist that men should not make any wishes privately while praying. Instead, all the wishes are made in the presence of a priest and members of the temple committee. None in the village could explain the rules; they’d rather call it their “tradition”.

Baba used to take a train to Sangargali every day, and reach around 12pm, said Vasant Bandodkar, a villager. When night set in, Baba would move around the village streets with a stick fitted with a bell, in one hand, and a kerosene lamp in the other. “He would wear all-white dhoti and a shirt, with a black woollen blanket slung around the shoulder,” said Bandodkar.

Stories told about Baba in Sangargali and surrounding villages are flavoured with fear and faith. Bandodkar claimed there are many families who still keep their doors open on full moon and new moon days. “Many of them are Christians. They believe their houses are built on the path Baba used to take and it will be irreverent if they shut the door. It’s a tradition that has been going on for years now,” he added.

An entry gate to Sangargali is called ‘Ravalkatta Baba Gate’, which, Bandodkar said, was where Baba entered the village. “After his death, several gorkhas tried to work here but didn’t last long. They all left work, claiming to have faced strange experiences,” he said.

Among the devotees who flock Baba’s temple, there are some politicians too. Former MLA Arvind Patil had offered 20 sheep in sacrifice, ahead of the 2018 assembly elections. Late MLA Pralhad Remani had taken special interest in carrying out development works around the temple.

The temple was abandoned for some years, said Ramchandra Kevilkar, a retired bank employee in Gunji, the panchayat where Sangargali is located. Two retired forest officials later took the initiative to renovate it.
Villagers used to conduct a jatra (festival) on the temple premises. But the elders found some rituals inappropriate and stopped the jatra in 2012. The forest department too had objections as it had begun to disturb surrounding wildlife.

The temple falls within the forest department limits, but there are no curbs on visitors. Devotees from neighbouring Goa and Maharashtra travel to Belagavi to visit the temple. The temple opens twice a week — Sunday and Wednesday.
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