PM Modi to Inaugurate Temple, Attend Mumbai Samachar's 200th Anniversary Event on Tuesday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a temple dedicated to 17th century saint Tukaram Maharaj in Dehu near Pune city and unveil Gallery of Revolutionaries in Mumbai on June 14 during his day-long visit to Maharashtra. The PM will also participate in ‘Dwishatabdi Mahotsav’ of ‘Mumbai Samachar’, a newspaper which has been published continuously for 200 years, an official statement said on Monday.

In Pune, Modi will inaugurate Jagatguru Shrisant Tukaram Maharaj Temple in Dehu at around 1.45 pm, the statement said. A prominent name in the Bhakti movement, Tukaram was a warkari saint and poet. He was known for ‘abhanga’ devotional poetry and community-oriented worship through spiritual songs known as kirtans. He lived in Dehu near Pune. A Shila Mandir was built after his demise, but it was not formally structured as a temple.

It has been rebuilt in stone masonry with 36 peaks, and also carries an idol of Sant Tukaram, the statement said.Later, the PM will inaugurate Jal Bhushan Building and Gallery of Revolutionaries at Raj Bhawan in south Mumbai. The Jal Bhushan has been the official residence of the Governor of Maharashtra since 1885. Upon completing its lifespan, it was demolished and a new building was sanctioned in its place. Foundation stone for the new building was laid by President Ram Nath Kovind in August 2019. All distinctive features of the old building have been preserved in the newly constructed structure, the statement said.

In 2016, the then-Governor of Maharashtra, Vidyasagar Rao, had found a bunker in Raj Bhawan. It had earlier been used by Britishers as a secret storage for arms and ammunition. The bunker was renovated in 2019. The Gallery of Revolutionaries has been developed in the bunker as a one of its kind museum, to commemorate the contributions of freedom fighters and revolutionaries of Maharashtra. It offers tributes to the contributions of Vasudev Balwant Phadke, the Chaphekar brothers, Savarkar brothers, Madam Bhikaji Cama, V B Gogate and Naval Mutiny in 1946, among others.Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi will participate in ‘Dwishatabdi Mahotsav’ (200th anniversary celebrations) of ‘Mumbai Samachar’ at the Bandra Kurla Complex, a business district in the suburbs. The printing of ‘Mumbai Samachar’ (then called Bombay Samachar) as a weekly was started on July 1, 1822, by Fardunjee Marzbanji, a Parsi scholar. It became a daily in 1832.

The Gujarati newspaper has been published continuously for 200 years.To commemorate this unique feat, a postal stamp will also be released on the occasion, the statement said.

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