This article offers a critical analysis of Arun Kolatkar?s Jejuri (1976), interpreting the poem as an ironic and satirical commentary on the contemporary degeneration of Hindu spirituality. Through the perspective of a rational, modern protagonist, the study examines the dilapidated temples, commercialized rituals, corrupt priests, ineffective gods, and spiritually barren landscape of Jejuri. The paper highlights themes of religious decay, materialism, loss of sanctity, irony, parody, alienation, and the conflict between faith and scepticism. By analyzing key sections of the poem, the article argues that Kolatkar exposes the hollowness of institutionalized religion while paradoxically recalling India?s past spiritual richness and advocating the reintegration and renewal of Hindu spirituality.
Head, P.G. Department of English, Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav College, Bakhtiyarpur, Patliputra University, Patna
