How 140 Airan families rebuilt more than just shrines
In Part 1, we briefly shared the history of the village of Kota and the rediscovery of its ancestral Airan gotra[1]. But what makes this story truly remarkable is what happened next.
The younger generation accomplished something earlier generations had not. They reconnected families of the Airan lineage whose roots traced back to Kota. There was no formal organization leading the effort except a shared sense of faith, family, and responsibility toward their ancestral Kuldevi shrines.
More than 140 members, scattered around India and abroad, came together to support the rebuilding effort in different ways. Most contributed financially, and many helped with planning, coordination, priestly arrangements, and organizing the sacred rituals for more than a week. Remarkably, the entire project, from the initial idea in January to its completion, came together within just a couple of months.
The transformation began with sacred rituals performed by a team of priests. First came the prayers for the respectful demolition of the old structures, followed by the rebuilding of the shrines with renewed devotion. The journey concluded with the Pran Pratishtha ceremony, where the deities were ceremonially reinstalled through collective prayers and participation.
Rituals, pilgrimage, and shared faith
Although I was not personally present during the ceremonies, my family had the privilege of hosting the priests throughout the sacred rituals. Families from the extended Airan gotra, both within the village and outside it, gathered daily for puja and spiritual activities. Together, they also traveled to the sacred city of Haridwar, where rituals were performed along the banks of the Ganga in memory of their ancestors.
It became a reminder that community is built not only through financial contributions, but through seva, hospitality, participation, and shared responsibility. The rebuilding of the Kuldevi shrines strengthened emotional and spiritual bonds across generations for many decades.
The culmination: Pran Pratishtha and celebration
The final day began with a traditional puja at home, followed by the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the newly rebuilt shrines.
On that day, members of the Airan community, connected to Kota, gathered at the site. Families stood side by side, participating in hava/ homa, chanting prayers, and sharing freshly prepared meals, blessed by Kuldevi. More than 250 people, connected to the shared ancestry of Charna ka Kota, came together to celebrate the successful completion of the Kuldevi Shrine project.
For many, it was the first time in decades that they had met one another. Old memories were revived, new relationships were formed, and a deep sense of belonging filled the atmosphere.
No words can fully capture the feeling of that day. It was not simply a religious ritual. It was a moment of reawakening, reconnection, and celebration.
What is extraordinary
The rebuilding of shrines itself is not uncommon in India. Such acts of devotion happen in many places.
What is extraordinary, perhaps even unprecedented at the village level, is how the families separated for more than a century, across cities and continents, came together without any formal institution to reconnect through a shared identity.
The younger generation transformed emotion into action. A simple WhatsApp group became the backbone of the entire effort, enabling communication, chats, idea sharing, coordination, fundraising, planning, and execution over the course of a couple of months.
One of the most meaningful contributions came from a family that donated land to create an access road to the shrines. It was more than a practical contribution; it symbolized both physical and emotional connection. The families can now drive to the shrines.
A personal reflection
For me, Kota is not an abstract place. It is where I was born, spent my childhood, and where my earliest memories still live.
Even today, while living in the United States, I return regularly. What draws me back is not only nostalgia but also a deep sense of continuity, belonging, and connection.
Another reason I remain closely connected to the village is through the NGO Vidya Gyan India, headquartered there. Through this organization, we support government schools within a roughly 60-kilometer radius to help improve education in rural communities because we believe that “Every Child Matters.”
This recent effort has only deepened my bond with both the village and the extended Airan families.
Beyond one village
The story of Kota is significantly larger than the village itself.
Villages are not just the fixed dots on a map or names in district records. In reality, they are living inheritances, woven together through memory, kinship, faith, and history, waiting to be rediscovered and documented.
Kota’s story centers around one community and its Kuldevi. Every village carries similar stories: the meaning of its name, the circumstances of its founding, the people who shaped it, and the traditions that sustained it through generations.
What is needed to uncover these stories is curiosity among the younger generation and guidance from village elders. With a school in every village, even a small project led by one committed teacher and a few students could preserve invaluable local history.
Stories may emerge from faith, social reform, village leadership, or families who quietly shaped the community over time. Village leaders, past and present, can help anchor such efforts, but these projects succeed only through collective participation.
Villages endure not only through land and lineage, but through the conscious act of preserving and documenting their stories for future generations.
The people of Kota have revived their Kuldevi shrines, but in doing so, they restored something even more enduring: a living connection between the past and the present. Through this effort, they showed that a community can always find its way home when memory, faith, and collective action come together.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
Reference:
[1] A reawakened village – Part 1: Rediscovered lost lineage – May 06, 2026, PGurus.com
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Formerly, a researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he has widely travelled and came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration.
- A reawakened village – Part 2: Faith, family, and celebration - May 11, 2026
- A reawakened village – Part 1: Rediscovered lost lineage - May 6, 2026
- The diaspora must now lead policy making - May 1, 2026
