Introduction
The construction of Thakur Satyanarayana Kapuria temple was initiated in 1923 by late Kapuria Mal. A cotton trader by profession, Seth Kapuria Mal had come to Rampur Bushahr, the then capital of Bushahr Dynasty from Punjab to establish his trade of cotton during the reign of Maharaja Padam Singh noble vision of Seth Kapuria Mal that could promptly persuade Maharaja Padam to donate considerable part land for the construction of this temple in the heart of Rampur Bushahr.
Seth Kapuria, being a true devout, invested whopping share of his earnings for the construction of this beautiful temple. Best masons were hired from Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan with the aim of creating a temple with magnificent artefacts and sculptures. Despite lack of convenient means of transportation, the primal construction material and equipment were carted from different corners of North India to Rampur Bushahr with the help of mules. After four years of rigorous construction work , Seth kapuria Mal’s ardent devotion and faculty evidently brought this temple into existence in 1927.
Lack of Maintenance of the Temple
Seth Kapuria Mal devoted his life in maintaining and financing the temple and its sarayein. Soon after his death in 1945, it was his brother in law sh. Muni Lal who took over his business and the responsibility of taking care of the temple premises as Seth Kapuria Mal had no heir apparent. But when Muni Lal passed away, there was no one behind to take the charge.
In the absence of a proper managing body, the temple suffered its fate and year after year, its condition deteriorated. The rooms in the sareyian inside the temple bounds which were actually made for the pilgrims were encroached by the local inhabitants and some were kept as stores by the local shop owners. Owing to the lack of care and sustainability, the temple infrastructure had remained in a dilapidated state for decades and turned into ruins.
The Formation of the Trust by Vishwa Hindu Parishad
Since the temple walls started crumbling and the sculptures of god and goddesses had been damaged over time, some local dignitaries took the initiative and Smt. Svarna khullar, the descendant of late Muni Lal was connected. Smt. Svarna Khullar sought the assistance of Vishwa Hindu Parishad for forming a trust affair. With their consolidated support, a small trust was assembled on 14th October 1998. Initially, there were 21 members in the trust including the members of Smt. Svarna Kullar’s family as well as some localities.
Transformation Brought by The Trust
Soon after the formation of the trust, a small office was established for the recurrent meetings and trustees sorted out the ways to raise funds for the renovation of the temple and to persuade the encroachers to vacate the temple property. Some affluent local families and political bodies initiated to donate generously for the reconstruction of the building. Then the members of parliament, Sh. Maheshwar Singh contribute rupees 10 lakhs and sh. Suresh Bhardwaj contributes rupees 5 lakhs for the temple, and with such ongoing support, the swift construction of the temple premises for organizing several events could be possible.
With the passage of time, the trust has successfully generated the regular income from the temple as well as the community hall and 11 rooms along with a dormitory have been built in the temple site. The trust is indeed toiling by leaps and bonds for bringing some radical transformation for this historical temple, so that it can regain its lost glory.