Overview:
Recently, the Prime Minister of India has urged people to visit Matua Maha Mela in large numbers which is being celebrated by the Matua community and also paid tribute to Shri Harichand Thakur.
About the Matua Community:
- Matuas trace their ancestry to East Bengal, and many of them entered West Bengal after Partition and after the formation of Bangladesh.
- Today, Matuas constitute the second largest SC population of West Bengal.
- The Matua community has members on either side of the Bengal border.
- The Matua Mahasangha, a religious reform movement and a sect was formed by Harichand Thakur in East Bengal in the mid-1800s.
- It is a Hindu reform movement which has a considerable number of adherents in West Bengal as well as in Bangladesh.
Q1) Who was Harichand Thakur?
Sri Sri Harichand Thakur was a Hindu monk known for his immense contribution for uplifting the untouchables in the undivided Bengal. He dedicated his whole life to bring salvation to the downtrodden and founded a sect of Vaishnavite Hinduism called “Matua”.
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