Amarinder performs 'Kar Sewa' at Durgiana temple on Maha Shivratri

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Monday joined devotees to perform 'Kar Sewa' to clean the sacred pool of the Durgiana Temple here on Maha Shivratri.

He exhorted people to celebrate the festival in the true spirit of brotherhood and religious harmony.

This is the third 'Kar Sewa' (voluntary service) to clean the sarovar (sacred pool) of the temple after 1975 and 1999.The chief deity of the temple is Durga.

The chief minister, while addressing devotees, announced a grant of Rs 1 crore for the temple's development and assured its management that their demand for additional land for expansion of the holy precinct would be looked into by his government.

Singh said he was happy to be part of the 'Kar Sewa' and recalled that his government had waived the temple's 50 per cent share in 'Langar' in the Goods and Services Tax after the Congress came to power in Punjab.

This led the Centre to follow suit, he said, hoping that the temple continues to bless people with Langar (food cooked in community kitchen).

Expressing concern over divisive forces rearing their heads to destroy the state's peace and harmony, Singh said his government will not allow such forces to be nurtured.

The Punjab government will continue to work towards universal brotherhood and tolerance, he said.

Earlier, Singh paid obeisance at the sanctum-sanctorum of the Durgiana Temple and offered prayers for peace, harmony and overall development of the state, besides the welfare of all sections of the society.

The Durgiana Temple was built in 1921 in the architectural style of the Golden Temple for which funds were raised by Guru Harsai Mal Kapoor.

Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya had laid the foundation of the temple.