136 people re-enter Hinduism in Kalahandi district of Odisha

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) – In a remote tribal village named Brimhana in Kalahandi district, 136 individuals who had previously converted to another religion recently re-entered their ancestral Sanatan Hindu faith. The ceremony was organized under the leadership of the Dharma Jagaran Samanvay Samiti, Odisha, where they were welcomed back into Hinduism through traditional rituals, chanting of mantras and ceremonial feet-washing.

The chief guest at the event was Shri Prabal Pratap Singh Judev, the All-India head of the “Ghar Wapsi” (reconversion to Hinduism) movement. Addressing the gathering, he said, “Today, we are paying tribute to Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati. He made immense efforts to bring tribal communities in the Kandhamal (Phulbani) district of Odisha, who had drifted away from Sanatan traditions back into the Hindu fold. However, in August 2008, he was assassinated through a conspiracy by ‘conversion mafias.’ We are determined to keep his ideals and work alive forever.”

Kalahandi has long been considered a major centre for religious conversions. Anti-national forces have allegedly taken advantage of the socio-economic backwardness of local tribal communities to carry out conversion activities for many years. This “Ghar Wapasi” event is being viewed as a highly significant development in the entire region.

On this occasion, several dignitaries were present, including Pujya Swami Janakananda Giri Maharaj, Sannyasi Kunjdev Manishi, regional head of Dharma Jagaran Vinay Kumar Bhuiya, Odisha state head Veer Vikram Acharya, Santosh Kumar Panda, Prakash Chandra Thakur, Arya Samaj’s Kapildev Shastri, Sanatani activist Vivek Agarwal, Sameer Kulkarni, Satish Mishra and others.