Author: Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow
Publication: Rediff on Net
Date: October 29, 2002
URL: http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/oct/29sharat.htm
Congress president Sonia Gandhi
performed puja at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva,
in Varanasi on Tuesday morning.
As part of her mission to revive
the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi was in Varanasi for a day.
She chose to drive down straight
from the airport to the temple, which is one of the most revered Hindu
shrines in the country.
The temple bars entry to all non-Hindus.
A board saying "Gentlemen not belonging to the Hindu religion are requested
not to enter this time" is prominently displayed at the entrance.
The instruction is spelt out in
Sanskrit, Hindi and Urdu.
However, Gandhi virtually cocked
a snook at her political adversaries, who have been trying to rake up the
issue of her foreign origin and her Christian background.
She spent nearly 25 minutes performing
rituals before Shiva. Dressed in a light grey saree with a maroon border,
her head covered in the traditional Hindu manner, she strode through the
narrow winding lanes to the temple.
The temple, which shares its borders
with the Gyanwapi mosque, was completely sealed off before Gandhi's visit.
Routine pilgrims and devotees were barred from entering the temple for
nearly an hour-and-a-half. Even journalists and cameramen were kept at
a distance.
Once through with her prayers, Sonia
Gandhi drove off to the local Jagatpur college, where she held a couple
of sessions with Congress workers. "Rise above your petty differences and
devote yourself to the revival of the party in a big way," she told her
partymen.
