Leuva Patels gear up for mammoth gathering

If you have plans to go towards Rajkot on January 21, 2012, you might have to face huge traffic jams.

The reason is that around 22 lakh members of the Leuva Patel (LP) community are expected to gather at Kagvad village in the district for the foundation stone laying ceremony of their community deity, Goddess Khodiyar. In fact, the event might set a world record of sorts and this is why the organizers have invited a team to be present at the event to monitor it for the record books.

The foundation laying ceremony itself will take just about three-and-a-half hours but the event is being seen as a harbinger of Leuva Patel consolidation. There is a general perception that the community has been feeling neglected under the current political dispensation in the state and the event in Kagvad was an attempt by the Leuva Patels to come together as a pressure group.

Leuva Patels comprise almost 10 percent of Gujarat's population. It's the biggest community in numbers followed by Kadva Patel, the other sub-caste of the powerful Patidar caste. The Leuva Patels are among the leaders in every field of activity, be it business, politics or industry.

However, the organizers of the event are at pains to dispel this notion. They insist that the event is nothing more than what has been claimed it will be, i.e., the foundation laying ceremony of a temple to Goddess Khodiyar.

Community leaders say the Leuva Patels had decided to come together for the betterment of the whole community and for other sections of society as well. They say Khodaldham would serve as the binding force in education, health and agriculture areas not only for the community but, in future, for all sections of society.

Talking about the upcoming event, president of the Khodaldham trust, Naresh Patel, said that it would showcase the power of unity through spirituality.

"We are trying to bring the whole community together. The Khodaldham complex will not only be a temple complex but will also serve as a focal point for community service not only for the Leuva Patels but for other sections of society as well," he said.

He further said that the complex will come up on around 80 acres of land in Kagvad village in three phases. "Apart from the grand temple, the complex will have institutions for training and research in education, healthcare and agriculture. The monuments in the complex will have special messages and guidance for fostering unity in the community and community values. The messages will also celebrate eminent personalities in art, sports, politics, education and other fields," Naresh Patel said.

Around 21,000 couples will participate in the foundation laying pooja. Pramukh Swami Maharaj, head of the Swaminarayan sect, Bochasanvasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminayaran Sanstha (BAPS), was supposed to visit Kagvad for the pooja but that won't be possible now.

Maganbhai Ramani, an Ahmedabad businessman and one of the coordinators of the event, said Pramukh Swami Maharaj was to come for the ceremony and give his blessings. "But as we have got the pooja done by his hands at Delhi, he has already blessed the event," Ramani said.