Gutka, idol worship are taboo in this village

About 50 km from Jaipur, a road swerves off the highway and snakes into the village of Mahajanpura, where abstinence is a way of life. The r...

About 50 km from Jaipur, a road swerves off the highway and snakes into the village of Mahajanpura, where abstinence is a way of life. The residents here abide by a long list of no-no’s — no smoking, no drinking, no idol worship and no temples.

‘‘We know it sounds incredible in this age, but it is true,’’ says farmer Sur Gyan. ‘‘If you are visiting our small village, we have only one advice — bring your own cigarettes and gutka because we don’t have any here.’’

Amid the thousands of temples, hundreds of deities and many traditions dotting the desert state, Mahajanpura is an oasis with no temples, no deities and none of the regular traditions. The village shop doesn’t stock alcohol, cigarettes, gutka or meat. The village has no temple and when the rest of the country fervently prays before each festival, the residents of Mahajanpura just cook themselves a sumptuous meal and eat it.

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‘‘Of course, we pray to Lakshmi, even we need money,’’ jokes Ram Baksh. ‘‘No, seriously, during any festival, we make sweets, eat nice food, dress up, just like everyone else. But we don’t fold our hands in front of any idol.’’

The only thing that the 350-odd residents of Mahajanpura believe in are the teachings of Ram Charan Maharaj, founder of the Ram Snehi Sampraday.

‘‘Maharajji, considered the first guru of the Ram Snehi Sampraday is said to have initiated this movement more than 250 years ago,’’ explains 60-year-old Hari Narayan. ‘‘All he wanted his followers to do was take the name of Ram and live happily. In his commandments, he specified that his followers should not smoke, drink or do idol worship. We follow that in letter and spirit.’’

Mahajanpura is not the biggest base of the Ram Snehi Sampraday, which has its centre in Bhilwara district, but it is the only village in the state that strictly follows the rules. From ensuring most of their children bear the name Ram to having a priestless temple, from not lighting lamps to ensuring there is no idol worship, the villagers have not wavered from their resolve.

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Once a year, on the death anniversary of Ram Charan Maharaj, they invite relatives to a grand meal. That day, they gather outside the Ram Dwar, a spartan room with the founder’s photograph and a book of his teachings, and fold their hands in prayer. ‘‘There is no aarti or anything. We say the prayer like children do in school,’’ Narayan says. And the reason they do it with such sincerity? ‘‘Look at us, we are all in good health. Nobody coughs or wheezes here,’’ says Sri Ram.