Matua Community

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Context: The Prime Minister virtually addressed the Matua community during the opening of ‘Matua Dharma Maha Mela 2022’

Details

The Prime Minister of India virtually addressed the Matua community during the opening of ‘Matua Dharma Maha Mela 2022’.
The Mela, being organised by All India Matua Mahasangha at Shreedham Thakurnagar in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on the occasion of the 211th birth anniversary of Shree Shree Harichand Thakur.

About Matua community

Matua is a sect of depressed class Hindus who are Namasudras, a Scheduled Caste group.
Originally from East Pakistan, the Matuas migrated to India during Partition and after the creation of Bangladesh. However, a sizable number are yet to get Indian citizenship

Harichand Thakur

Harichand Thakur was born in 1812 in Orakandi in Bangladesh in a peasant farmer family of the Thakur community (SC community).
Thakur, whose family were Vaishnavite Hindus, founded a sect of Vaishnavite Hinduism called Matua.
- This was adopted by members of the Namasudra community, who were then also known by the common pejorative name of Chandalas and considered untouchable.
The sect, opposed to caste oppression, later attracted adherents from other communities marginalised by the upper castes, including Malis and Telis.
Thakur’s followers consider him God (hence called him Thakur) and an avatar of Vishnu or Krishna. Thus, he came to be known as Sri Sri Harichand Thakur.
Harichand Thakur devoted his life to the cause of betterment of the oppressed, downtrodden and deprived people in undivided Bengal during the pre-independence era.
Thakur died in Faridpur district in Bangladesh in 1878.
After his death, one of his sons, Guruchand Thakur, collaborated with an English Baptist missionary doctor, who worked and lived among the Namasudras, to get the Chandala people re-categorised as Namasudras.

Matua Mahasangha

Matua Mahasangha is a religious reformation movement that originated, around 1860 AD, in modern-day Bangladesh, with a considerable number of Supporters both in Bangladesh and in West Bengal of India.
The movement was launched as a reformation by the followers of Harichand Thakur. Thakur attained atma darshan at an early age and would subsequently preach his Darshan in Twelve Commandments.
The teachings of Thakur establish education as an important tool for the upliftment of the population, while also providing a formula for ending social conflict.
Matua-mahasangha believes in Swayam-Dikshiti ("Self-Realisation") through the chanting of Harinaam, i.e., chanting the Holy name of God Hari.
Harichand stressed the congressional chanting of Lord's name kirtan as the sole means to Mukti.