Karjat (Maharashtra), September 7: A three-generation-old dream of the Sagar family has finally taken shape with the completion of a Ram Temple in Maharashtra’s Karjat, a deeply emotional milestone for a family whose name has been inseparably associated with Lord Ram and Ramayana for decades.
The temple is the fulfilment of a resolve first envisioned by legendary filmmaker Ramanand Sagar, creator of the iconic 1987 television serial ‘Ramayan’.
His son, late filmmaker Prem Sagar, carried the dream forward and had even acquired a Ram idol from Rajasthan for the proposed temple before his passing last year. It was then left to his son, producer-director Shiv Sagar, to complete the vision.
Speaking to ANI, Shiv Sagar reflected on the significance of the occasion, calling Lord Ram a great blessing for the Sagar family.
“Ramji has been a great blessing to the Sagar family. The 1987 ‘Ramayan’ serial was made by my grandfather, Ramanand Sagar Ji. Again, in 2008, we created Ramayan with Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee. I went on to make Kakbhushundi Ramayan - Anasuni Kathayein. It was my grandfather’s wish to build a Lord Ram temple. My father tried to fulfil his wish and even brought a Ram Ji statue. Unfortunately, he passed away last year, and now I am taking this forward,” Shiv Sagar said.
“It is a wish of three generations,” Shiv said, reflecting on the journey that culminated in the construction of the temple.
According to Shiv Sagar, spirituality was always present beneath the surface of his grandfather’s cinematic work. Films such as ‘Geet’, ‘Arzoo’, ‘Lalkar’ and ‘Charas’ carried glimpses of spiritual thought and devotional themes.
“My grandfather wrote and produced and directed around 50 films, and if you see all his films – ‘Geet’, ‘Arzoo’, ‘Lalkar’, and ‘Charas’ - you will see a glimpse of spirituality in all his films,” he added.
The Sagar family is set to mark a deeply significant milestone with the completion of a Ram Temple in Karjat.
The temple represents a particularly poignant milestone for the Sagar family. While Ramanand Sagar dedicated his life to taking the story and teachings of Lord Ram to audiences across the world, and Prem Sagar carried forward the dream of creating a temple, the completion of the Karjat temple marks the first time that the family’s devotion has culminated in the creation of a temple of its own.
“Lord Ram has always been a guiding force for our family. From Dadaji creating Ramayan at the age of 70, to my father Prem Sagar taking the sankalp to build a Ram temple in Karjat, and now the dream finally being completed by the third generation, this is an extremely emotional and spiritual moment for our family. It feels like a dream that has travelled across generations and has finally come to fruition,” said Shiv Sagar in a statement. (ANI)
