Dhori Mata Tirthalaya

Contents

Dhori Mata Tirthalaya, also known as the Shrine of Miraculous Mother of the Coal Mines, is a Roman Catholic shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is located in Jarangdih, Bokaro, in the Indian state of Jharkhand.[1][2]

Overview

The shrine has a statue of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus. The statue was named Dhori Mata, after the place in which it was found. A large number of people attend the 9-day festival every year that concludes with a Mass (locally called Missa Puja) on the last Sunday of October.[3][4] Dhori Mata is regarded locally as the patroness of coal miners.[5][6] The shrine contains numerous paintings of Jesus Christ and is decorated with lamps.

History

On 12 June 1956, the statue of Dhori Mata was accidentally found by a coal field worker named Rupa Satnami from Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh working in the mines of Jarangdih, Bokaro, Jharkhand. While excavating coal, he heard a voice in Hindi say, "Strike gently, I am here."[7] One of the arms of statue of the Virgin Mary had been broken off by Satnami's pickaxe.

In October 1957, the statue of Dhori Mata was placed in St. Anthony's Church in Jarangdih. In May 1964, the statue was transferred from the church to the present shrine location.[5] In December 1964, the statue of Dhori Mata was specially blessed by Pope Paul VI during his pastoral visit to Mumbai.[1] Later in 1967, the statue was sent to Belgium and was found to be made of jackfruit wood and dated to be approximately 400-500 years old.[8] On 30 October 1983, the shrine was formally inaugurated.

The statue was stolen in January 2008,[9] but was recovered the following day.[10]

References

  1. 1.[1.2]"History of the Dhori Mata Shrine". Catholics & Cultures. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  2. 2."ढोरी माता की शोभा यात्रा में श्रद्धालुओं का कारवां |". Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  3. 3.Pioneer, The. "Dhori-Mata fest concludes at Jarandih". The Pioneer. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  4. 4."झंडोत्तोलन के साथ ढोरी माता वार्षिक समारोह प्रारंभ". Hindustan (in Hindi). Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  5. 5.[5.2]"खनिकों की संरक्षिका रही ढोरी माता". Dainik Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  6. 6."ढोरी माता तीर्थालय वार्षिक समारोह में देश भर से 30 हजार श्रद्धालु पहुंचे". Prabhat Khabar (in Hindi). Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  7. 7.Oct 31, TNN /. "Harmony at shrine | Ranchi News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  8. 8."Dhori Mata Tirthalaya, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, India, Video". IndiaVideo. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  9. 9."Mother Mary's statue stolen near Bokaro - Indian Express". archive.indianexpress.com. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  10. 10."Stolen Marian statue found, people rejoice in Jharkhand". ucanews.com. Retrieved 25 April 2022.