Public Contributions Drive Renovation of Devchand Temple in Thund, Junga

The renovation work of the nearly 200-year-old temple of Dev Junga Devchand, located in Thund village of Junga tehsil, is continuing with public support without any government assistance. In this regard, a general meeting of the temple committee was held in Thund on Monday, which was chaired by the head of the temple committee, Prem Thakur, and the deity’s guru, Nandlal Sharma. The meeting discussed in detail the financial problems faced during the temple’s construction.
At the meeting, temple committee members expressed regret that the file for temple restoration sent to the Directorate of Language and Culture, Shimla, has been pending for the past four years due to lack of budget. Committee President Prem Thakur said that if the government is unable to provide assistance for the preservation and restoration of ancient temples, such schemes should be discontinued.
He explained that the temple of Dev Junga Devchand had fallen into a dilapidated state. The temple committee had completed all formalities and submitted the matter to the Language and Culture Department, hoping to receive a grant. However, after two years of waiting for assistance, no help was received. Following this, the deity’s devotees and local residents began the restoration work themselves.
According to the committee, approximately 50 lakh rupees have been collected so far with the help of devotees and devotees, with which approximately 75 percent of the temple construction work has been completed. Prem Thakur and the deity’s guru, Nandlal Sharma, said that people have contributed beyond their means, but now it is becoming increasingly difficult to complete the remaining 25 percent of the work and pay the wages of the expert artisans who have come from Mandi district.
He said the temple is being constructed in the ancient Daiva style, featuring attractive carvings of gods and goddesses. The temple committee has requested the government and the Language and Culture Department to expedite the pending file for the Dev Junga Devchand Temple, Thund, and release the grant so that the remaining work can be completed on time.
A large number of committee members including senior head of the temple committee Manohar Singh Thakur, treasurer Deepak Rohal, secretary Pritam Singh Thakur, Rajiv Thakur, Joginder Thakur, Joginder Rohal, Krishna Rohal, Ramsaran Thakur, Suresh Verma participated in the meeting.
Meanwhile, officials of the Language and Culture Department say that due to lack of adequate grants from the government, many cases related to the renovation of temples across the state are pending.