were killed on Thursday in separate Hezbollah drone and anti-tank missile strikes along the Israeli-Lebanese border 2024Get email notification for articles from Ofer Aderet FollowSep 19 Hezbollah drone and anti-tank missile fire towards northern Israel killed two IDF soldiers '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/liveblog_entry\/10-members-of-abu-latif-indicted-for-murdering-cousin-of-druze-citys-mayor\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=edYkKe.q7dUkekM0QOGKHJsKwucLWKd3Km9mi.vh9bU-1746502824-1.0.1.1-94Pw2VX6frhUzL6ovaYf8H.L8NkF0i0ZNz__QBQGcVo" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Create an account for a 7-day trial to access this article and all of AL-Monitor For subscription inquiries, please contact subscription.support@al-monitor.com For all other inquiries, please use contactus@al-monitor.com Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Eastern Uttar Pradesh's Sant Kabir Nagar district today, in a visit seen to be heavy with symbolism The visit is being termed as the BJP's campaign launch in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections PM Modi made Varanasi the epicenter of his and the BJP's campaign he won the Lok Sabha seat that is visited by thousands of pilgrims each day many in search of enlightenment or moksha by the river Ganges that flows by - one of the world a holiest places This time, for 2019, PM Modi has chosen Maghar, about 250 kms from Lucknow but just 30 kilometres from Yogi Adityanath 's Gorkahpur, a place that is referred to, in superstition, as a 'gateway to hell'. The 15th century saint Kabir held in high esteem by both Hindus and Muslims because he wanted to dispel a superstition of the time that anyone who died in Maghar went straight to hell PM Modi has laid the foundation stone for the Kabir Academy at Maghar (function(v,d,o,ai){ai=d.createElement("script");ai.defer=true;ai.async=true;ai.src=v.location.protocol+o;d.head.appendChild(ai);})(window समाज में आने वाली आंतरिक बुराइयों को समाप्त करने के लिए समय-समय पर ऋषियों संतों का मार्गदर्शन मिला। सैकड़ों वर्षों की गुलामी के कालखंड में अगर देश की आत्मा बची रही और अपने भीतर के अहंकार को ख़त्म कर उसमें विराजे ईश्वर का दर्शन करने का रास्ता दिखाया। वे सबके थे वो धूल से उठे थे लेकिन माथे का चन्दन बन गए।वो व्यक्ति से अभिव्यक्ति और इससे आगे बढ़कर शब्द से शब्दब्रह्म हो गए। वो विचार बनकर आए और व्यवहार बनकर अमर हुए। संत कबीर दास जी ने समाज को सिर्फ दृष्टि देने का काम ही नहीं किया बल्कि समाज को जागृत किया: PM स्वभाव के फक्कड़आदत में अक्खड़ भक्त के सामने सेवक बादशाह के सामने प्रचंड दिलेर दिल के साफदिमाग के दुरुस्तभीतर से कोमलबाहर से कठोर थे। वो जन्म के धन्य से नहीं थोड़ी देर पहले यहां संत कबीर अकादमी का शिलान्यास किया गया है। यहां महात्मा कबीर से जुड़ी स्मृतियों को संजोने वाली संस्थाओं का निर्माण किया जाएगा। कबीर गायन प्रशिक्षण भवन आज ज्येष्ठ शुक्ल पूर्णिमा है..आज ही से भगवान भोलेनाथ की यात्रा शुरु हो रही है। मैं तीर्थयात्रियों को सुखद यात्रा के लिए शुभकामनाएं भी देता हूं। कबीर दास जी की 500वीं पुण्यतिथि के अवसर पर आज से ही यहां कबीर महोत्सव की शुरूआत हुई है: PM सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ। मैं उस गुफा में भी गया संत कबीर नगर में मा. प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेंद्र मोदी और #UPCM श्री #YogiAdityanath संत कबीर की समाधि​ स्थल पर। #PMIn... https://t.co/3BA3hdPt0y Prime Minister @narendramodi lays foundation stone of Kabir Academy at Maghar, Uttar Pradesh.#PMInMaghar (credit: @BJP4India) pic.twitter.com/h4dAOlYyc9 प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी के आज उत्तर प्रदेश में सार्वजनिक कार्यक्रम। लाइव देखें https://t.co/vpP0MInUi4 पर pic.twitter.com/8YoRa0ddwC LIVE : PM Modi lays foundation stone of Kabir Academy at Maghar, UP. #PMInMaghar https://t.co/J6wubAUmaI You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Delhi CM Rekha Gupta leads 20-day cleanliness campaign CM Mamata removed word Dham from Digha temple this is victory of Lord Jagannath devotees: Chief Servitor of Jagannath Puri Temple Tamil Nadu CM urges EAM Jaishankar to intervene amid 'rising attacks' on fishermen "Clean chit minister": BJP's Brijesh Chowta takes dig at Karnataka Home Minister Parameshwara not Jagannath Dham," says sand artist Pattnaik sanatanis will not tolerate": BJP's Suvendu Adhikari attacks Bengal CM on Digha Jagannath Temple controversy "Ashok Gehlot has lost his mental balance": Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma copyrights © aninews.in | All rights Reserved Kabir and Gorakhnath have never stopped to fascinate me The places where Buddha and Kabir breathed their last are close to my hometown Gorakhpur The town is also home to Gorakhnath Peeth – the place where Gorakhnath is said to have performed a long penance Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini (in Nepal) is also not far from Gorakhpur The place where he spent a better part of his life is in the nearby Siddharthnagar district I have been visiting these places at regular intervals I took diksha from a Buddhist monk near the ruins of a stupa at Kapilvastu and was all set to go to Sri Lanka as a monk have ceased to play the progressive roles they essayed in the past Religion has become the means of reactionary politics these days I became actively involved in left-wing politics and turned atheist  The key reason was that all three challenged Brahmanism in their times and a majority of their followers were Dalits Pasmanda Muslims formed the biggest chunk of his followers Close to Gorakhpur lies the town of Maghar It is said that Kabir spent all his life in Kashi but moved to Maghar as his death drew closer the belief was that those who died in Kashi would go to heaven while those who died in Maghar would be condemned to hell It was to bust this myth that Kabir moved to Maghar One of his oft-quoted verses goes like this:   Kashi and Maghar are the same as Ram dwells in my heart If Kabir has to part with his body at Kashi for attaining salvation which assailed dogma and social evils in their entirety wanted to perform his last rites in keeping with their respective religious traditions when the shroud covering Kabir’s body was removed which they distributed equally among themselves and performed the last rites of Kabir in accordance with their faiths the maqbara and samadhi of Kabir stand side by side at Maghar Such tales about great personalities are commonplace in society and they have little truth in them is that Kabir was considered a formidable iconoclast even in his times Had Kabir lived in today’s intolerant milieu his writings would have been outlawed and he would have been thrown behind bars The visit gave me an altogether new perspective on Kabir the maqbara and the samadhi were surrounded by green farms the place had an inviting and peaceful ambience The central and the state governments are developing Maghar as a tourist destination Projects worth Rs 80-90 crore have been launched in the town The maqbara and samadhi have been given a grand look library and the Kabir Research Institute and Museum have also come up Houses have been built for the resident staff and a hostel and a guest house have been built for researchers and other visitors A light and sound show based on Kabir’s life and works will be launched soon The place now wears a grand and imposing look But the magnificence seems to have driven out the rebel Kabir (The one who burns his house can accompany me.) It was this image of Kabir that drew me to Maghar again and again when I was young Maghar has changed but some things remain the same One of them is the month-long mela (fair) that has been held here for centuries now “Since when has this mela been held?” I asked an elderly gentleman “I have been seeing the event since my childhood,” he replied MLAs and government officials in attendance it has not been able to meld with the local traditions and culture It gives you a glimpse of a typical rural market The venue reverberates with Kabir’s bhajans and shabads presented by Kabirpanthi troupes from all over the country the scene turns more lively and captivating modernity has seeped into the event but it still retains its original flavour An interesting aspect of this fair is the custom of offering khichdi at Kabir’s maqbara and samadhi – a custom that obliterates the difference not only between Kabirpanthis and others but also between Hindus and Muslims But what is even more interesting is that a similar month-long mela is also held at the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur I tried to explore any connections there could be between Gorakhpanth and Kabirpanth Some said that those who were unable to offer khichdi at Gorakhnath due to some reason would have made the offering at Maghar and this would have later become a tradition says that Kabirpanth has had a long tradition of serving food to people by organizing langars Feeding people has always been considered a pious deed And the offering of khichdi is considered one’s contribution to the community feasts Kabirpanth had a deep influence on Sikhism Scores of Kabir’s verses form part of the Guru Granth Sahib Both Gorakhpanth and Kabirpanth resulted from rebellions against the Varna and caste system and a large number of Dalits Backwards and Adivasis – both Hindus and Muslims – were drawn towards them I remember seeing a large number of Gorakhpanthi fakirs (mendicants) They played the sarangi and sang Kabir’s shabads With the communal forces taking over the Gorakhnath Peeth Kabirpanth still has a considerable following in Rajasthan Most of the nomadic tribes of these states are Kabirpanthis I met many Kabirpanthis from distant places It is even said that the Modi government undertook the development of Maghar eyeing the votes of the Kabirpanthis in the lead-up to the Gujarat elections what appealed the most to me about this fair is that it is largely indifferent to religion It exemplifies how a rebel writer or poet can become part of common social consciousness rural area of eastern Uttar Pradesh can recite at least a verse or two by Kabir This strikes me every time I tour this area That is why I find the Kabir Mela unique – probably one of its kind in the whole of India  (Translated from the original Hindi by Amrish Herdenia) Forward Press also publishes books on Bahujan issues. Forward Press Books sheds light on the widespread problems as well as the finer aspects of Bahujan (Dalit, OBC, Adivasi, Nomadic, Pasmanda) society, culture, literature and politics. Contact us for a list of FP Books’ titles and to order. Mobile: +917827427311, Email: info@forwardmagazine.in) Swadesh Kumar Sinha (born 1 June 1964) is editor (Hindi), Authors Pride Publisher, New Delhi. He also translates writings on social, cultural and political issues The Prime Minister will also offer Chadar at the Sant Kabir Mazaar CM Adityanath arrived at the mausoleum on Wednesday and it was there that the caretaker of the mausoleum Khadim Hussain offered him a skull cap As he moved to place the cap on the Chief Minister’s head “Stop stop… it is done,” the CM told Khadim hold this (the cap) in your hand.” The CM then agreed to his request and posed for a photo with the skull cap in his hand with Khadim standing next to him Khadim said that when he offered the skull cap to the CM he refused it very politely “He was smiling while saying no to me,” he said did not go down too well with the opposition with several leaders alleging that he was dividing the society on religious lines Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sunil Sajan said that it was a cap of Kabir but CM must have misunderstood it such people should not go the Kabir dhaam.” Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said that the cap doesn’t belong to any particular religion and it is just to show a gesture of respect People occupying top offices have to take everyone together.” it will not change your religion neither hurt you religious sentiment.” the lone Muslim minister in the UP Cabinet Mohsin Raza jumped to Adityanath’s defence and questioned the intention behind offering caps to leaders He suggested that religious gurus should restrain from indulging in such acts “By offering him a cap and when he refuses to wear it Has he (Yogi Adityanath) committed a crime by doing so The incident yesterday came as a reminder to the 2011 incident when Narendra Modi refused to wear a skull cap offered to him by a cleric during a fast for social harmony in Ahmedabad Maghar is a town in Sant Kabir Nagar district The place is known because Sant Kabir breathed his last in the 15th Century here to dispel the myth that anyone dying here goes directly to hell He is one of the few saints from the past held in high esteem by both Muslims and Hindus Just in time before 2019 elections campaign gain momentum PM Modi will visit Maghar on Thursday to connect with Kabir SEBI has warned against ‘Opinion Trading Platforms’ that are illegally trading securities similar to registered investment platforms These platforms use similar terms to make them sound legitimate but they do not fall under SEBI’s regulatory purview Investors participating in these platforms will not have any investor protection and the platforms may face legal action for violations "Mahatma Kabir's reflection upon equanimity and harmony has given direction to the society for centuries I salute him who hailed from this land of nirvana Guru Nankadeva and Baba Gorakhnath sat together and discussed spirituality," Modi said Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Lucknow: President Ram Nath Kovind said on Sunday that the ‘nirvana sthal’ (where he breathed his last) of Sant Kabir was an example of communal harmony and unity The mausoleum and the tomb of Kabir were located at the same spot his teachings were popular among the common people as well as intelligentsia President Ram Nath Kovind and UP CM Yogi Adityanath at the inauguration of Sant Kabir Academy and Research Centre and Swadesh Darshan Yojana in Maghar Sant Kabir Nagar (ANI) The President inaugurated the Sant Kabir Academy and Research Institute Interpretation Centre and renovation work launched at Sant Kabir Sthal at a programme organized in Maghar in Sant Kabir Nagar district the President said Sant Kabir stayed at Maghar for about three years The area that was considered barren and cursed bloomed with his arrival On the invitation of Kabir another saint of Nath sect visited Maghar he understood the sufferings of the people and worked to free them from difficulties The life of Kabir was the best example of humanity adding he worked to establish harmony in society with his poetry Kabir was born in a poor and deprived family but he never considered that deprivation as his weakness He left Kashi at the last moment of his life and went to Maghar He believed that God was not an external entity His sacred speech influenced saints from Srimant Shankar Dev in the east to Sant Tukaram in the west and Guru Nanak in the north to Guru Ghasidas in Chhattisgarh. The President said Kabir travelled to Bengal Rajasthan and Gujarat and even a foreign country like Iran Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Sant Kabir opposed orthodoxy In Kabir’s times it was said that if one visited Maghar one went to hell after death Kabir came here to prove them wrong and convert the place into a heaven The state government had launched several projects in Maghar The President had inaugurated three big projects – Sant Kabir Academy and Research Institute constructed at a cost of ₹31.49 crore) Interpretation Centre at a cost of ₹17.61 crore and beautification of Kabir Nirvana Sthali river Aami that flows near Maghar and merges with river Rapti in Gorakhpur district was polluted The pollution made adverse impact on agriculture and animal husbandry The villagers living near the river faced hardships The state government launched a work plan to clean the river and free it from pollution Today the water of the river was clean and Aami was pollution-free “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for setting goals for the next 25 years under Amrit Mahotsav programme He has laid the foundation of the projects inaugurated by President at Maghar spiritual circuit and Buddhist circuit have been launched at different places in the country Along with providing better facilities to the people the projects are generating employment as well,” Yogi said The Kashi Dham project launched by the Prime Minister on December 13 2021 was drawing more than one lakh devotees daily The projects had generated employment opportunity for the local people Similar development projects had been launched at Ayodhya The Indian Railways announced cancellation of multiple trains due to essential non-interlocking work on the Gorakhpur-Gonda railway section The interlocking work which will be carried out specifically between Jagatbela-Sahjanwa-Maghar stations will affect the train services for three consecutive days Chhapra Kacheri-Gomti Nagar Express running from Chhapra Kachari and train number 15113 Gomti Nagar-Chhapra Kacheri Express from Gomti Nagar are both cancelled for April 14 and 15 The Patliputra-Lucknow Express (12529) departing from Patliputra and the Lucknow-Patliputra Express (12530) from Lucknow Junction will not operate on April 15 and 16 Chhapra-Mathura Junction Express (22531) and Mathura Junction-Chhapra Express (22532) will not run on April 16 ALSO READ: Vande Bharat Express Train: India's First Sleeper Coach Vande Bharat Train To Run Between Agra And Gorakhpur; Details Passengers planning to travel through or from Chapra Junction during these dates should seek alternative arrangements and stay informed on further updates from railway authorities The disruptions are part of ongoing improvements to the automatic signalling system aimed at enhancing safety and efficiency on the railway route Jagran English brings you all the latest and breaking news from India and around the world Follow english.jagran.com to stay updated with the latest English news Copyright © 2025 Jagran Prakashan Limited.