Swami Chidanandapuri on How to Reclaim our Hindu Temples

How Hindus can control the Temple administration and set a good management for Hindu Empowerment

Even as members of the Muslim and Christian community have complete control over their mosques and churches, righteous Hindu Community in many places is failed to control their Temple bodies and anti-Hindu political parties or the State Govts are in control of Hindu Temples even going against to rituals and traditions of those temples.  Now, Swami Chidananda Puri Swamikal (of Advaith Ashramam, Kolathur, Kozhikode) has drawn the attention of Hindu society towards this grave injustice being meted out to Hindus regarding the matter of state government control over temples.

Swamiji rightly pointed out how “Muslims and Christians were able to utilise income from their religious places for the betterment of their respective society”, while Hindus have always been left to the mercy of the government, “forced to beg in front of them for paltry sums thrown before them and for the upkeep of their temples, to save those from dilapidation.”

“Hindus must take direct part in Temple management, maintenance, renovation, dharma shikshan, running social activities from temples instead of throwing some money into the donation box. Hindus must be united to take control over their own temples and must make those as hindu empowerment centers”, Swami told HENB emphatically. The Swami also pointed out a vigorous Hindu activities from all Temples so that whole local society can be more powerful being Temple centric.

“Management of temples in India is the aftereffect of British rule. Even though British left us decades ago and Indira Gandhi added the term ‘secular’ into our constitution, we are still clinging on to those discriminatory laws when it comes to temples,” said the seer.

“It is clear violation of basic principles of Constitution, including right to practice one’s faith without interference of government. Moreover governing the place of worship of just one religion undermines the very principle of equality which our Constitution promises to it’s citizens,” said Swami Chidanandapuri.

Swamiji also points out the hypocrisy of political leaders when it comes to matter of a Hindu. “No Muslim or Christian political leader of any “secular” party will not shy away from representing the matters of their community. “But no leader of these secular parties, bearing Hindu names will come to the aid of Hindus,” he added.

Swami Chidananda Puri Ji categorically stated how the discrimination could “rightly be put to an end, solely by a Pan-India movement challenging the same in Supreme Court.” Swami said politics and judiciary cannot control the Hindu Temples. But, it is time for Hindu unity and Temple activism for showing the right paths for all social, political, cultural, economical, judicial and environmental richness  with the help of Hindutva.

The Swami also reiterated that the Govt controlled Temple Administrations/Caretakers or the Devaswom Boards are not performing their duties rightly and  Hindus are not satisfied at all  with their political ambition and temple extortions.

Source: Hindu Existence