ABOUT

Kishore Kunal was born in 1950. He passed Matriculation Examination from his village High School at Baruraj in Muzaffarpur district and was awarded scholarship which very few students at the top used to gets. Then in 1967 when he had adequate number for admission in an Engineering College, he declined the admission in Engineering and left Science and Muzaffarpur. He went to Patna college to join the stream of Arts. In 1968 he got the distinction of obtaining highest marks in Patna University. Having passed History Honours Examination he appeared for U.P.S.C. examination in 1971 and since he had not completed 21 years of age, he could appear for I.P.S. only and in his first attempt he was selected and joined the coveted post of I.P.S. in 1972. He was allotted Gujarat Cadre and was a probationer at Mehsana and got the first independent posting of A.S.P. at Anand where he performed brilliantly. Then he was D.C.P. at Ahmedabad and came to Bihar in 1978. From 1978 to 1984 he was Superintendent of Police in North Santhal Pargana, Rothas, Palamau and Patna district. Everywhere he suppressed crime and criminals with iron hands.

Thereafter after remaining on leave for completing the construction of famous Mahavir Mandir, Patna he remained in B.P.R&D, Bharat Wagon Ltd. for brief periods. While he was on study leave, his services were called by the M.H.A and he was appointed O.S.D. on Ayodhya in the Ayodhta Cell of the Ministry. It was during days of the Prime Minister Mr. V. P. Singh and further more he was retained as O.S.D. on Ayodhya by the succeeding Prime Minister Mr. Chandra Shekhar. Kunal played an important role in the negotiation of the contentious issue and the solution ultimately eluded, though at many stages it looked within the sight.

When Mr. Narasimha Rao became the Prime Minister he called the services of Kunal after the demolition of the disputed shrine and engaged him in making a national consensus on the construction of a Rama Temple at the R.J.B.

Thereafter, he joined C.I.S.F and remained there for nine years as D.I.G and I.G. Then he decided to take voluntary retirement, he left the C.I.S.F in 2000 and joined Gujarat where from he took voluntary retirement in May, 2001 from the post of Addl. D.G., Gujarat Prisous.

As an I.P.S. officer he was reputed for his honesty, integrity and dedication to duty. He is still remembered by the people of Bihar as a very strict and dynamic police officer who effectively controlled crime wherever he was posted and who was a Samaritan to the peace-loving people and a terror to hard-core criminals. He served in Gujarat and Bihar cadres and was on Central deputation for long. He was an O.S.D on Ayodhya in Ministry of Home Affairs and was instrumental in amicable negotiation with Hindu and Muslim religious leaders on Ayodhya issue. His stint in C.I.S.F. was marked with varied growth of the organisation. His subordinates and colleagues looked upto him for guidance, leadership and found solid support from him for their righteous work. He has been an icon to the new generation.

Acharya (Dr.) Kishore Kunal is a true visionary, a genius and a versatile and towering personality. He has been a highly celebrated I.P.S. officer, Vice-chancellor of a Sanskrit University and, above all, a dedicated social worker. In May, 2001 he took voluntary retirement from the coveted Indian Police Service, almost a decade before the actual date of his superannuation. This he did so primarily to serve the teeming masses, with special focus on the down-trodden Dalit’s living in the poor State of Bihar. He is an author of repute and a great authority on Valmiki Ramayan. He has worked as Chairman of the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts, a statutory body which supervises the functioning of religious trusts in Bihar. The post is exempted from the office of profit by an Act of the Parliament.

VICE-CHANCELLOR

Because of his sound scholarship, particularly in Sanskrit literature and language, and reputation as a no-nonsense administrator he was appointed Vice-chancellor of K.S.D. Sanskrit University, Darbhanga where he brought the decaying and derailed university on right track. He enforced discipline in the functioning of the University and regularised the session and eliminated corruption and copying in examination. Under his supervision he got prepared a detailed treatise on Panini’s Ashtadhyayi and it was named Ashtadhyayi-artha-prakashika. He got a grand of Rupees 1 crore and 25 lakhs for the renovation of the Senate Hall of the University building and handed the renovation work to the Archaeological Survey of India. Like police service he relinquished the top job of the Vice-chancellor in midst of his tenure because he never intended to be tied with a chair for ever. There, too, he kept a maha-dalit Chauthi Sadai, as the Registrar of the University.

VIRAT RAMAYAN TEMPLE

Under his leadership as the Secretary, Mahavir Mandir Trust he undertook the building of the largest temple "Viraat Ramayan Temple" in the world. He said, "We will build a bigger temple in Bihar's East champaran district than the 12th century Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia."

It was vehemently opposed by the Cambodian Government. But after 2 years diplomatic battle it was decided in favour of Mahavir Mandir Trust.

It has acquired 100 areas of land. But on account of non-registration of 12 acres land at the main site the construction is held up. The moment it is registered, the construction will start.

Former Chairman of Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts

He revamped the functioning of major temples of the state.

Earlier as secretary of Mahavir Mandir Trust and as Chairman of the Bihar State Religious Trusts Board, he has done such a commendable work that Hon’ble Justice S.N. Hussain wrote the following paragraph in a momentous judgment in Misc. Appeal no. 205/2001 on 11th April, 2007:-

“It will be necessary to mention here that this Court expects that the Board as well as its Administrator Mr. Kishore Kunal, who is personally present in this Court, will not only bring the Math in question to its lost glory of healthy religious activities, rites and rituals, but will also see that the Math is developed into an ideal place of worship for the actual beneficiaries, namely, its devotees and that its properties and income are being used for the real purpose of such a trust, namely, service to the humanity, which the Board under its above named Administrator have done in similar trusts of Bihar in the recent past.”

As an Administrator of the Board he has renovated a large number of religious trusts in Bihar. He discovered the most ancient nature of Mundeshwari Mandir at Kaimur Hills and the great antique value of one of the largest Vishnu idols in the country at Samas near Barbigha in Sheikhpura district of Bihar. He has recovered trust worth crores of rupees properties from the clutches of criminals and anti-social elements. Therefore, he is one of the most popular figures in the State

Mundeshwari Bhawani Mandir -

He is involved in the uplift of Mundeshwari Bhawani Mandir, the 'oldest' surviving temple in the eastern region belonging to Gupta Age (AD 343) and located in Kaimur hills. The temple site has also been developed into a full fledged pilgrim centre, just like Vaishno Devi temple, with a number of amenities like dormitory, rest rooms, kitchens and efficient transportation system. As part of the temple's development plans, a 'vivah' mandap is under construction.

'Mundeshwari Mandir: The Oldest Recorded Temple in the Country', also written by him, was released.

He renovated and expanded a large number of temples in the state. At Muzaffarpur Garib Nath Mandir has been renovated, expanded and made beautiful on the pattern of Mahavir Mandir, Patna. Similarly, a historic Shiva Temple at Vaishali constructed during the days of Vikramaditya was renovated and made very attractive. The pauranic temple of Harihar Nath at Sonepur had addition of four strayed Dharmeshala. At Bodh Gaya the ancient Jagannath and Ram-Janaki temples were in dilapidated condition. They were rebuilt and there was additional effort in construction of the Buddeshiva Nath temple at Bhagalpur. He took active part in the new construction of Jalla Hanuman temple in Patna City.

When he had joined the Board, 100 months salary of employees to the tune of ₹ 2.50 crores were due and the court had passed order to make payment and contempt proceeding was to be initiate. Kunal not only made payment to the employees but also made the income of the board more than ₹ 1 crore rupees per annum.

Due to his strict supervision the income of many temples was raised around ₹ 1 crore rupee per annum. Amongst them are Garib Nath Mandir Muzaffarpur, Harihar Nath Mandir, Sonepur, Sai Baba Mandir, Kankanrbagh, Patna and Singheshwar Nath Mandir, Madhepura. Mahavir Mandir, Patna, itself pays more than ₹ 65 lakh per annum as fee to the board.

He regularized the services of employees of the board and made their salaries at par with the government employees and a notification was issued in this regard.

Upliftment of Dalit’s

He is responsible for ushering in a silent social revolution by appointing dalit’s in prominent temples of Bihar. As Secretary of the famous Mahavir Temple Trust, Patna, he had appointed a dalit, Phalahari Suryabanshi Das, as a priest in this prominent temple on 13th June, 1993 in the presence of a galaxy of eminent religious leaders. The dalit priest is, now, a highly venerated priest in the temple and persons belonging to all sections of society seek his blessings. In addition, many temples have now dalit priests because of his towering personality:-

* On 26th February, 2006, he appointed a dalit, Shri Chandeshwar Paswan, as a priest in the magnificent Vishal Nath Temple at Hajipur in Vaishali district.

* On 14th January, 2007, he appointed yet another dalit, Shri Jamuna Das, as a priest in the historical Shiva temple at Bihta in Patna district. Thousands of devotees, belonging to all sections of society, participated in the installation ritual.

* Similarly, on 30th June, 2007, he appointed Shri Janardan Manjhi, who comes from musahar community, which is the poorest amongst depressed classes, as another priest in the famous Ram Janaki temple at Paliganj in the presence of a large number of devotees and traditional Brahmin priests.

* On 14th January,2008 he appointed dalit priest Shri Deepak Das in famous Jagannth Mandir at Bodh Gaya.

* Another dalit Shri Jagdish Das was appointed in the prominent Maniari temple of Muzaffarpur district in 2008.

Recently he has appointed dalit priests in some remote areas also. He is on the anvil of appointing many more dalit priests in coming days.

As an Administrator of the Bihar State Religious Trusts Board, Acharya Kunal has invariably appointed dalit’s in the management committees of almost all temples in the State. He has appointed dalit’s as the executive heads in a number of temples in Bihar. He created history by appointing an all- dalit temple trust in the management committee of the famous Ram Janaki temple at Hilsa in Nalanda district.

As an Administrator of the Religious Trusts Board, he has introduced a highly laudable concept of Sangat and Pangat in different temples. Sangat means community worship. On a fixed date in a week all devotees from dalit’s to brahmins sit together in the temple and join the common prayer which has been very rare in the State. By the concept of Pangat, Acharya Kunal has introduced community dining in temples and public places on specific festival days. Earlier there was a practice that persons belonging to different castes were dining separately in batches, but by introducing the concept of Pangat a new era has now been heralded where dalit’s and brahmins sit together and dine together.

Wherever there has been any atrocity on dalit’s or there has been any religious discrimination against them, Acharya Kunal has rushed to the spot and tried to resolve the issue amicably. By convincing and persuading people, he has always succeeded in harmonious settlement of such contentious issues. In early 2005, in Bandra village of Muzaffarpur district of North Bihar dalit’s were not allowed entry in Kali temple. Even the local dalit’s leader who was a powerful Minister in the then Cabinet of Bihar was not allowed entry inside the temple. There was a lot of tension in the locality and the local administration was almost helpless in resolving the issue. It was Acharya Kunal who visited the village and persuaded the people to allow dalit’s entry into the temple. It was because of his efforts that persons of all sections of the society attended the rituals in congregation and dalit’s got entry into the temple after protracted negotiation with caste groups. A grateful district administration acknowledged this effort of Acharya Kunal and the then District Magistrate of Muzaffarpur, Shri S.K. Mishra, informed the Times of India on 14.4.2005 that the dispute could not have been settled but for Acharya Kunal who gave his best to resolve the problem.

Nikhil Bharatiya Teerth Vikas Samiti

Nikhil Bharatiya Teerth Vikas Samiti is an All-India Society registered in Delhi. It has prominent people from all walks of life. The society was gifted a magnificent temple at Ayodhya called Amawan Ram Mandir which also boosts of a Palace. Ramanand Sagar was one of its founding members.

Recently, it has renovated the Amawan Ram Mandir in such a beautiful way that it is now one of the of the most attractive temples at Ayodhya located on the entrance of Ram Janma Bhumi. It is the one temple, apart from the make shift temple of Ram Lala, which houses Lord Ram in childhood form.

Amawa Ram temple is a complex of 14 temples housing attractive idols of almost all Hindu deities. In addition, it has a hygienic kitchen and a large dining hall where a free langer Ram Rasoi is run by Mahavir Mandir, Patna.

Accomplished Author

He is author of many books. The topic for his thesis for Ph.D. degree in Sanskrit department of Patna University was “Criminal Law in Ancient India”. He prepared and published a thousand page book on the biography of Lord hanuman “Maruti-charitamritam” with its translation from the legendary scholar Late Sitaram Chaturvedi.

His book “Buddhavataraya Namo Namaste” is already published.

He has already edited “Maruti-stuti”, “Maruti-Shatakam” and other books.

His magnum opus is ‘दलित-देवो भव’ (DALIT Devo Bhav) in two volumes published by Publications Divisions, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. It comprises 1500 pages and is a comprehensive work which is likely to get all laurels from the literary world in near future.

His books on Ramanandacharya, Kabir, Ravidas and Tulasi are to be published shortly.

In addition, he is a powerful orator and has given lectures and sermons in Rajasthan Ramananda Sanskrit University, Prayag, Hardwar and many other places in the country. He has presided over the following sessions of All India Oriental Conference:-

(a) History Section of All India Oriental Conference at Varanasi in 2004.

(b) Archaeological Section of All India Oriental Conference at Jammu in 2006.

(c) History Section of A.I.O.C. at Kurukshetra in 2008.

(d) Several Sanskrit Conferences at Jagannathpuri, Hardwar, Vadodara and other places, while Vice-chancellor of Sanskrit University.

He is equally proficient in administration, writing and sermons all the three attributes acknowledged by the Publications Division on the cover page of the book ‘Dalit Devo Bhava’

Ayodhya Revisited ISBN 8184303572

In this 800-page book, Kunal has analysed the historical documents to draw the conclusion that the Babri Masjid was built by Emperor Aurangzeb, not Babur. He blames the surveyor Francis Buchanan for erroneously crediting Babur. Kunal also states that a Ram temple existed at the disputed site which was demolished by Aurangzeb's governor Fedai Khan in 1660 AD.

Compiled List of Books -

* Ayodhya Revisited - Foreword by 32nd Chief Justice of India Justice Gopal Ballav Pattanaik (Prabhat Prakashan, 2016).

* Ayodhya : Beyond Adduced Evidence - Foreword by 25th Chief Justice of India Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah (Prabhat Prakashan, 2018).

* Criminal Law in Ancient India (Research paper)

* बुद्धावताराय नमो नमस्ते- Mahavir Mandir Prakashan

* 2003 अष्टाध्यायीसूत्र-प्रकाशिका (under his guidance) - K.S.D.S. University, Darbhanga

* मारुतिचरितामृतम् (Edited), Mahavir Mandir Prakashan

* मारुति शतकम् (Edited),Mahavir Mandir Prakashan

* मारुति-स्तुति (Edited), Mahavir Mandir Prakashan

* सत्यनारायण-पूजा-प्रकाश (Edited), Mahavir Mandir Prakashan

* रामार्चन-पद्धति (Edited), Mahavir Mandir Prakashan

* रुद्रार्चन-पद्धति (Edited), Mahavir Mandir Prakashan

* Mundesvarí Mandir : The oldest, recorded temple in the country (Edited) Mahavir Mandir Prakashan

* Dalit Devo Bhav, Published by GOI.

* Acharya Ramanand Aur Unka Vaishnavmatabja-Bhaskara, Mahavir Mandir Prakashan

* Supervises a monthly magazine called DHARMAYAN.