<b>A Wake Up Call to Hindu Voters, Leaders and Activists</b>
Subject: Subversive Govt. Control of Temples violates religious Freedom. Hindus also have the right to manage their institutions as guaranteed by the constitution: Hindu Parties must commit to end this state of lawlessness and restore the rights of the national majority by bringing about a âregime changeâ.
Respected Hindu Voters, Activists and Youth;
Respected Hindu Leaders and devotees;
This is the wake up call for the Hindus of India. The concept of secularism in the country, as established by the Indian majority (read the Hindus), was meant to provide equal freedom, protection and treatment to all religions. As a matter of fact the Indian Constitution unambiguously prohibits the Govt. from establishing a state religion or interfering with religious formations. It also means that the Indian state cannot elevate atheism or secularism to the level of state sponsored religion. However, in the thoroughly corrupt political jungle of India, in time the real majority was replaced from the driverâs seat of the political system by an artificially created new majority which reversed the entire content, character and intent of secularism. Utilizing the systemic parliamentary trickery the new majority constituted by the combination of minority and splinter groups gave entirely a new meaning and agenda to Indiaâs secular behavior.
The Indian democracy thus having fallen under the clutches of the hostile minorityism which in turn unleashed the same kind of aggressive yet subversive attacks as were experienced by the Hindus during the repressive regimes of the Muslim, Christian and other invaders. The ultimate goal of these self destructive strategies all along has been to change the demographic, socio-cultural and religious complexion of modern India. The very exemplary entity representing the highest degree of liberty and liberalism created by the Hindus of India for treating the minorities fairly and with utmost equality is now using the strong arms of unlimited Govt. in an attempt to gobble the creator up. Influenced by the new philosophical boundaries of the minority controlled, interpreted and enforced secularism the Indian authorities continue to invent new schemes, plots, plans and programs for destabilizing, weakening and fragmenting the foundations of Hinduism the only religion that historically, even in the face of Himalayan adversities, held India together. Under the present governing regime that crusade continues to take its toll and seriously hurt the Hindu majority, its religion and its unified character.
1) Students of history will remember that after converting Germany in to a Nazi state, Adolf Hitler, in his bid to remain in power for ever, concentrated on perfecting and using seven key structures of control for achieving his objective. The first of the seven of course was Govt. and politics. But the very second key structure of control was religion. Therefore, politically aware and conscious voters of India and citizens in general cannot but view the control by Govt. of Hindu temples, shrines and religious estates with a degree of suspicion and worry. What can stop the Indian officials, like in Hitlerâs Nazi state, from expanding the state control to other areas like culture, work, education, propaganda, trade and commerce depending upon who is in power? The members of other religious formations in India should also take a moment and ponder upon the issue of state control upon religions and their infrastructure very seriously. Today the targeted religion is Hinduism and tomorrow it could be any one of them.
With such a sinistrous background in mind many of the state Governmentsâ in India have resorted to demolition of the Hindu religious infrastructure with unusual ferocity after usurping the control of temples under the illegally enacted lawless laws. The administration of the Govt. controlled temples has been vested in the hands of the officials without accountability, religious training, transparency and community supervision. The abundance of available evidence has proved beyond any doubt that under government control, the Hindu temples have not only been exploited injuriously but are also being driven to their ultimate extinction. This is an issue that the majority Hindus must keep in mind when they vote in the forthcoming elections. Obviously the builders of this control regime, Sonia- Singh and its cabal included, have lost the trust and confidence of Hindu India. This regime has made it a policy to violate and hurt Hindu sentiments by demolishing their religious infrastructure through deliberate and willful mismanagement under the unjustifiable state control.
2) The Hindus and all aspirants of the regime change in India must demand an unbreakable and binding commitment from candidates and political parties for supporting the Hindu agenda which may include a) autonomy of Hindu religious temples and institutions as in the case of the minority religionists; b) Amending the discriminatory provisions in the Constitution that penalize Hindus and hamper their cultural, educational and religious freedom; and, C) As required by the Indian Constitution the wall of separation between state and religion must strictly be maintained and adhered to.
In todayâs India persons having no belief, devotion and background on Hinduism, even persons from adversarial religious groups, are given charge to govern and dictate their will upon the Hindu religious entities. The practice of a religious group being ruled by its opponents, former religious oppressors or those with political or financial motivations is absolutely unethical, irreligious and immoral and therefore, must be completely unacceptable. The methodology of the Govt. take over of temples is being used as an instrument of death for the Hindu places of worship. The serious consequence of this violation is that the writ of the state determines how religious shrines are managed and who gets to enjoy the spoils and privileges from the revenues generated by these shrines.
3) Southern States: Some of the Southern States have assumed the role of fore- runners for demolishing Hinduism and its religious infrastructure. Besides these governments the self professed secular Govt. of India has also become an active participant in promoting anti-Hindu religions while funding their enlargement from the Hindu coffers. A special note should be taken of the fact that the Governments as trustees do not maintain the accounts of the nationalized temples in a transparent manner. In stead they treat such accounts as discretionary and disposable assets. Given below is a short summary in two states that shows the extent to which states plunder temples and enforce their agenda. (for more details and other states see Attachment A):
Nationwide the control of the famous and internationally recognized temples like Jagannath Puri, Tirupati, Kashi Vishwanath, Vaishno Devi, Shirdi , Siddhivinayak, Guruvayoor, Chamunda Devi, Dattapeeth, Kali Mandir of Patiala, Amarnath, Badrinath, Kedarnath, etc. has already been assumed by the Govt.
4) Karnataka: In Karnataka the Congress regime suffocated Temples by siphoning off their revenues to promote adversarial religions â In the year 2002-2003, out of Rs 79 crores of temple revenues, Rs. 59.15 crores was given away to mosques, Madrasas, Hajj, etc., Rs. 12.75 crores was given to Christian institutions and a mere Rs. 7.1 crores were allocated to maintain over 248,000 temples. During the five years of the report from 1997 to 2002 some 19,000 temples have closed in Karnataka (attachment A). No where in the world does a Govt. engage in such robbery and assault of a single religion to benefit its opponents and competitors.
The Govt. also went out of its way to encourage evangelization in the state. On this front the officials provided facilities worth crores of rupees to Priest Benny Hinn for undertaking mass conversions at the State owned Jakkur Airfield Training Ground on January 21-23, 2005. Promoting politically motivated conversions in this fashion must be considered a crime punishable under the law.
5) In Andhra Pradesh: The World Famous Tirupathi Tirumala Temple is under debilitating siege by the Govt. The criminal destruction of the centuries old historic 1000 pillar Mandapam at TTD with official participation, and proposal to build a ropeway at TTD for turning the sacred shrine into a tourist attraction thus commercializing and desecrating the deeply revered shrine and vitiating its religious sanctity are highly provocative and unsettling. Such precipitous anti-Hindu measures are taken without public debate or the approval of the Hindu community, who are the real owners of temples. Not surprisingly though these illegal, anti-secular and undemocratic acts have generated enormous resentment and therefore, have been universally condemned by all Hindu ranks. Shamefully a former liquor baron was appointed the Chairman of the TTD Board as a reward for helping Congress in the no confidence vote that took place in the Parliament on July 22, 08.
The Temple receives an annual income of Rs. Three Thousand one hundred Crores in the form of direct cash collected from Hundi collections and other sources at the TTD apart from substantial amounts of Gold, Silver and precious stones. Without any constitutional authority a huge portion of the resources of the TTD is utilized for numerous non-Hindu purposes. The regime in office has allowed illegal occupation of some three and a half lakh (3,50,000) acres of Mandir lands in AP in spite of the fact that there is a huge army of some 77,000 bureaucrats in the endowments department supposedly for protecting these assets.
Hindus have no say in how their religious institutions are run and they are at the mercy of a seemingly fanatic Christian CM, who in spite of having taken the oath to uphold the secular constitution, does everything officially and otherwise to de- Hinduise and Christianize the state.
(For more details on temples in the above states and the status of temples under Govt. control in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Orissa, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kashmir and Haryana please refer to Attachment A.)
6) Indian High Courts have declared the laws to control Hindu temples as illegal and unconstitutional. The courts directed state authorities for taking remedial measures.
a) In Karnataka, a division bench of the High Court comprising of Justice R Gururajan and Justice C R Kumaraswamy struck down the endowment Act stating that the legislation violated Articles 14, 25 and 26 of the Constitution which provided for right to equality, freedom of conscience and freedom of profession, practice and propagation of religion and also the freedom to manage the religious affairs; and,
b) Similarly the Allahabad High Court directed the Central and Uttar Pradesh authorities to prepare a scheme for establishing a Board for the governance of the Hindu religious organizations on the pattern of the UP Muslim Waqf Board. Even though our demand is based on the constitutional principle of complete separation of religion and Govt. , in the interim it would be appropriate and reasonable for all state authorities to follow the judgments issued by these highest judicial bodies.
c) Despite such valid judicial decrees the State authorities have grossly misused and abused the powers delegated to them under the Concurrent List (Article 246 (2), Seventh Schedule) on religious institutions. In stead they went ahead and made unwarranted acquisition of temples and squarely discriminated against Hindu religious institutions, while leaving the liberty and freedom of other religionists in managing their institutions untouched and unhindered.
Anticipating possible dishonorable designs in various administrations the Indian Parliament adopted a law in 1991 specifically requiring that -"the status of religious places, as on August 15, 1947 shall be retained". The state officials are duty bound to uphold this law and keep the religious places outside Govt. control as they were in 1947. In case of conflicts or contradictions between the state and national laws - the national law receives precedence. Scholars of constitutional law and judicial bodies have questioned the legality of the practice used by the Govt. Both legislators and cabinets are elected under the decree of the constitution. While administering the oath of office they make a commitment to uphold the Indian Constitution. However, by singling out the Hindu religious infrastructure for discriminative practices they engage in violating the same constitution which they swore to uphold. What an irony!
7) Only dharma Acharyas and saints have the religious and spiritual background and authority to guide religious shrines.
The official grounds of imposing state control upon religion have been as illogical as they have been irrational. And the imposition of such control in a selective manner upon the Hindu temples and the absence of its universal application expose the mockery imbedded in this policy.
For re-examining this erroneous and prejudicial policy the following basic questions must be answered by the Indian state governments. What authority, background and special training the Govt. operativesâ posses for controlling every aspect of the temples - the Hindu cultural centers, when the concept of secularism - neutrality towards religions - is enshrined in the Indian constitution? Why canât autonomous Hindu Boards govern temples under the guidance of religious leaders, just as it is permissible in the case of other religions? The Waqf Board of Muslims and the management of Christian religious institutions have vast funds, properties and endowments, in addition to the immense flow of foreign funds - yet their independence and autonomy is left intact! Why deny this freedom to Hindus who constitute Indiaâs national majority and are vital for the countryâs national unity?
Hinduism: A prescription to uproot radicalism & terrorism.
In today's turbulent world when foundations of human civilization and civil society have been seriously shaken by religious terrorism, jihad and radical ideologies the message of all- embracing Hinduism is needed: The messages of peace, tranquility, non-violence, tolerance and compassion are bound to heal the wounded civilization and lead it on the path of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. Accordingly people need to be motivated for dharma raksha and dharma prasar. The lack of âdharma shikshaâ could be one of the factors responsible for the emergence of the current state of ills in the modern society. This curse must be eradicated with a heavy emphasis on educating the general public.
8) Hindu Advisory Councils should be formed immediately pending the establishment of Hindu Boards: Such community representative Councils could play a vital role in oversight and decision making process of the endowments department and temple Trusts. Additionally, these Councils elected or nominated by the community and national religious leaders could shoulder these responsibilities. They could also take measures to root out desecration and decimation of the religious infrastructure that has taken place during the Govt. control. Taking such steps should signify a prelude towards denationalization and the establishment of autonomous Boards for taking over the charge.
Govt. must realize that the temples and their endowments have been built over centuries by our forefathers and the community is their real owner. Accordingly the community must have the final say in the management and utilization of temple resources. Furthermore, liberating religion from state control would free the Govt. for addressing national rather than parochial interests.
9) Hindu voters must be made aware that Sonia-Singh regime is the same anti- Hindu regime which is:
a) violating the faith of 100 crores Hindus by questioning the existence of Lord Ram and calling Him a mythical being. By demolishing Ram Sethu the regime further inflicts injury upon the majority community's faith and religious practices;
b) Letting states to clamp their control upon temples and Hindu religious properties in an attempt to demolish the Hindu religious infrastructure;
c) remaining callously indifferent on the arrest of the most revered H.H. Kanchi Shankaracharya in Tamil Nadu;
d) Appeasing terrorists and not dealing with them swiftly and firmly. Such deliberate policy of inaction encouraged commando raid on Mumbai killing Hindus by the hundreds;
e) Concocting the phony idea of Hindu terrorism and arresting Sadhvi Pragya;
f) Enforcing religion based reservations, scholarships and Hajj subsidies for Muslims in violation of secular constitution thus re-imposing Jazia tax on Hindus;
g) encouraging pub culture by one of the Ministers leading a "pub bharo" campaign;
and so on.
10) Hindus reject brainwashing and intellectual subversion: It took decades of struggle for India to emerge as an independent country in 1947. Prior to that for centuries both the Muslims and Christians kept it under their occupation and brutal authoritarian rule. Even though now the country is physically free of occupiers but the mind of its intelligentsia and the governing elite continues to suffer with acute traces of indoctrination. The Indian social, political, educational institutions and the media to a large measure are still controlled by anti- Indian and subversive elements.
The Govt. control of temples has deprived Hindus of dharma shiksha, dharma prachar and dharma sewa. They are largely kept ignorant of their heritage while the temple resources are abused, misused and siphoned away to fund the expansion of the predatory religions. Under the secularist philosophical dogma Hindu organizations are questionably branded as being communal and anti-minority. Using such methods of intimidation and contempt, the Indian officialdom and the ruling class compels Hindus to accept subservience without questions, protest and retaliation.
The manipulators of the Indian political system have reduced Hindus to a mere non-entity. That status for a strong national majority is as undemocratic as it is humiliating. They must refuse to accept such an indignity. As a meaningful yet constructive retaliation they need to mobilize, take initiative, come forward, assume leadership and offer sacrifices for bringing about a desirable change.
11) This is our âDharma Yudhâ against the indignities and inhumanities mounted on us. This is our struggle for restoring the appropriate status of the Hindu Samaj. This is our sangharsh to establish the rule of law and real democracy. This is our chance to throw out of power those who insulted our gods, attempted to destroy Hindu history and heritage of India. Therefore, please place every thing else on the backburner and get involved in this "Maha Dharma Yudh". Take leave from every thing else and work for the victory of Hindu Dharma and become a part of the electoral campaign locally, regionally and nationally, and above all amongst dalits, OBCs, weaker segments of the community and the disenfranchised.
The idealism driven young generation should be on the front seat to fuel a new uprising against the de-Indianised elite and the tainted political practices. The youth particularly the College students who have the idealism, energy, maturity and drive for furthering the national cause should plunge into this campaign.
The fate of Hindus in Kashmir and in the North Eastern India should remind them that with a weakling Indian Govt. spearheaded by Sonia-Singh and the Bush loyalist combine they and their loved ones face a clear and present danger in every nook and cranny of India. With the pace setting example of Hindus in Jammu during the historical save Amarnath struggle, they should urgently consider a mass Hindu electoral movement for every legislative and Parliamentary election and assert their right of majority rule - the underlying premise of partition. Letting this opportunity slip away could be extremely costly with far reaching consequences.
12) Hon'ble Voters, Hindu Leaders and activists: We being the democratic majority in India have the right and responsibility to demand the reversal of the anti- Hindu policies of the Sonia- Singh regime, particularly the divisive religion based job reservations and scholarship schemes. These perverse and discriminatory actions are not for strengthening the Indian society but for tipping the balance in favor of loyalist vote banks so that political merchants continue to maintain their firm hold on power. For reversing these disuniting commands and introducing policies with universalist character Hindus must be bold in supporting only those candidates and parties who commit to uphold and work for the majority Hindus interests and for rational governance. Here are a few material commitments they should ask for:
a) "Equal freedom for all religions"; i) Unshackling Hindu religious infrastructure from the unconstitutional Govt. control across India; and, ii) the formation of Interim Advisory Hindu Councils for oversight of the Endowment departments till de-nationalization is complete;
b) "Equal opportunity in Education" for all poor children, as against the Sonia- Singh regime's preferential high scholarships to Muslim students, while the so called 'upper caste poor students' are denied any support whatsoever. (Foot note 1); and,
c) Amend the Constitution for: 1) stopping the abuse of the Concurrent List by the state authorities for taking over temples, resulting in financial suffocation, mismanagement and manipulation of the Hindu religious infrastructure; and, 2) Article 30 that is discriminatory and disallows establishment of Hindu Educational Institutions to help provide education for the poor, by barring them from the needed financial benefits as allowed to the minority institutions.
For the good of India, empowerment of her real majority, her civilization, her immense spirituality and culture, Sonia- Singh regime has to go. In its place a Govt. that genuinely thinks Indian, breathes Indianism, upholds the Indian cultural heritage and commits to protecting Indian citizens against the scourge of terrorism must be voted to power. The country needs leaders and lawmakers who maintain a determined core of beliefs and whose goal of securing equal opportunity and freedom for all Indian religions transcends the fractured nature of politics.
Thanks for your time and "Jai Ho" to the new and transformational regime in the forthcoming elections.
Dr. Jagan Kaul
Krishan Bhatnagar
Hindu Jagran Forum (USA)
March 17 , 2009
email: krishan.kb@verizon.net
Foot note 1) : The irrational educational policy of Sonia- Singh Govt. has now divided poor Indian students into three categories:
a) Preferred religious minorities (read Muslims and Christians) with high financial assistance;
b) SCs and STs on a lower level; and,
c) Total exclusion of students from poor Hindu families (all outside the first two categories) from the so-called upper castes, who don't get assistance worth even a paisa --- -- for details refer: "Equal Opportunity in Education - for All Poor Children : an Election Issue....(Feb 23, 2009)" --
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Attachment A
ASSAULT ON HINDUISM IN INDIA :
Govt. control of Hindu religious infrastructure is the instrument of decimating Hindu religion and culture
Hereunder are the examples of the abusive control by states in South India that have virtually engaged in demolishing the Hindu religious infrastructure. The abundance of available evidence has proved beyond any doubt that under government control, the Hindu temples have not only been exploited injuriously but are also being driven to their ultimate extinction.
Nationwide, the famous temples of Jagannath Puri, Tirupati, Kashi Vishwanath, Vaishno Devi, Shirdi , Siddhivinayak, Guruvayoor, Chamunda Devi, Dattapeeth, Kali Mandir of Patiala, Amarnath, Badrinath, Kedarnath, etc. have already been taken under the Govt. control.
In Andhra Pradesh: AP Govt.'s continuing blitzkrieg against Hinduism with massive sale of temple lands seems a policy of looting temples for bringing down Hinduism.
Andhra Pradesh Govt. is going all out for controlling the entire spectrum of Hindu religious institutions. The Endowment Minister Shri Diwakar Reddy announced on March 12, 2007 that AP State Govt. plans to takeover all temples, mutts and religious trusts in the state. Furthermore, the government is planning to amend the AP Endowments Act to enable the endowments commissioner to oversee the day-to-day administration of mutts.
Injurious Governance: As per recent information there are more than 34,000 Temples under Government control who are taking away all the donations given by devotee in the form of cash, clothes, jewellery or in any other form. In return only some 15% of the Revenue is given back for the maintenance of Temples and pay salaries of Priests. More than 40,000 Priests are earning salary below Rs.500 /- Month and over 3,000 Priest who are earning 400 /- for the whole year.
The Major chunk of money is been used by government for various schemes under Indira Yojna, Rajiv Yojna etc etc which in no way is helping either the Hindu community or Hindu Temples.
In 2004, the AP Govt. engineered the entry of JRG Wealth Management Limited, an organization owned by Christians, into the decision making and procurement process of "Prasadam" materials for use in Tirupati temple. Furthermore, the criminal destruction of centuries old historic 1000 pillar Mandapam at TTD with official participation that has been universally condemned by all Hindu ranks and it has generated enormous resentment! The fact that even with huge battalions of staff for oversight, the Govt. could not protect the temple lands simply proves either incompetence, indifference or both of the authorities in performing their responsibilities. Such an irresponsible establishment cannot and must not be trusted to handle these centuriesâ old estates and temples belonging to Hindu community.
The world famous TTD with massive income of over Rs. three thousand crores and vast endowments properties and Hindu educational institutions have been infiltrated, particularly by Christians under the patronage of CM Rajashekhar Samuel Reddy. There was a recent news of protests and tension at TTD's Sri Padmavathi Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam (SPMVV) on March 14 , 2007, against university vice chancellor Veena nobel Das for the alleged propagation of Christianity in the varsity and the suicide of a first year post-graduate student K. Uma Maheswari in the varsity hostel room against conversion.
Unwarranted & illegal Actions : Against the spirit of the law, strong opposition and wishes of the Hindu community the AP government wants to: a) take away Rs 500 crores from TTD (Tirupathi Tirumala Devasthanam) supposedly for irrigation projects on top of the Rs.1,500 crores it already owes them; b) build a ropeway at TTD for turning the sacred shrine into a tourist attraction thus commercializing and desecrating the deeply revered shrine and vitiating its religious sanctity; and c) takeover the 500 year old Chilkur Balaji temple so efficiently run by the pujaris and locals. These highly provocative, unsettling and expeditious measures amongst many others are being taken without any public debate or the approval of the Hindu community, who are the real owners.
A) TIRUPATHI (AP)
The World Famous Tirupathi Tirumala Temple is under complete control by the ruling government of Andhra Pradesh. The Temple is receiving an annual income of Rs. 31,00,00,00,000 (Three Thousand one hundred Crores) in the form of direct cash collected from...
a) Hundi Collections
b) Donations towards Annadanam Scheme
c) Large amount of donations collected from Devotees who have donated more than 5 Lakh of Rupees
d) Thula Bharam
e) Renting out 12,000 Cottages to devotees on Daily basis
f) Sale of Prasadam (including Ladoos)
g) Leasing of premises to commercial establishments including shops & Hotels on the Hills
h) Profit from Export of Tonsured hairs of Devotees
i) Profits from TTD Publications
j) Income generated from sale of Sewa Tickets
k) Television Rights
Apart from this The TTD is also generating income in the form of collecting & Pledging the same for Government schemes
In the Financial year 2005-06, The TTD collected 2400 Kilograms of Gold 2,33,000 Kgs of Silver and 543 Kgs of Other Precious Stones including Diamonds, Rubies etc. were collected from Devotees.
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B SIMACHALAM (AP)
Situated 15 Kilometers from the Port city of Vishakapatnam, Simachalam is the Ancient Temple of Narasimha Swamy. Very Recently the Temple has come under siege by Christian Missionaries, who have illegally occupied over 300 Acres of temple land with the help Christian land Mafias and local Congress Leaders. The Devotees are restricted at the foothills by the Christians who abuse our God as demons and physically try stopping Hindus by luring them by providing them basic day to day needs. On many occasions the devotees have complained to the local administration, who are watching all this helplessly. In a span of 20 Months, four churches and 3 convent schools have come up in the vicinity at the foothills and a small temple of Hanuman has also been demolished overnight.
C BHADRACHALAM (AP)
BHADRACHALAM is a famous temple dedicated to Lord Sri Ramachandra and situated on the banks of the sacred river Godavari. Today this temple is also under the siege of Christian Missionaries who have influenced the government to donate 884 Acres out of 1289 Acres of Temple land for their Activities. The Temple which had a passage of 8 entrances has been left with a narrow passage for the devotees to enter the temple.
D. ARASAVALLI (AP)
AT ARASAVALLI, which is practically the same as Srikakulam, the headquarters of the northernmost district of Andhra, there is a temple of Lord Surya. Temples dedicated to the worship of Lord Surya are rare in our country.
Seventh Day Adventist Church has constructed a church right in front of both the entrances. Number of Devotees visiting the ancient temple has come down by 85% in just one year.
E. SRISAILAM (AP)
SRISAILAM is situated in the thick and inaccessible forests of the Nallamalai hills, in the northeastern portion of the Nandikotkur Taluk of Kurnool District. It lies on a straight line west of Vijayawada, right as it were in the centre of South India. It is 73 miles north of Nandyal Railway Station.
Puranas have described this abode of Mahadev as Prantha Jyothirlinga which is situated all sides by mountains which legend says that our great Rishis and Munnis did penance.
The Endowment department has sold over 1600 Acres of Temple Land surrounding the temple to various Christian Organisations including Tribal Gospel
F. MANGALAGIRI (AP)
MANGALAGIRI is situated on the Bezwada-Guntur road and is about 8 miles by road from Vijayawada. On the top of the Mangalagiri hill there is a famous temple called the Panakala Nrusimhaswamy temple, which has been attracting pilgrims for a very long time, and from all parts of the country. The nearest railway station is Mangalagiri on the Guntur Vijayawada line but to visit the temple, the better course would be to get down either at Vijayawada or at Guntur and take bus connections.
This ancient Temple which has the largest Gopuram approximately 14 Floors constructed by King Yudhistra has been under the attack from Christian Missionaries. Due to Poverty stricken over 35% of the population are forced to convert to christianity and others are forced to leave in fear. Hindus are forced to visit the temple between 10 A.M - 1.P.M because of fear of attack from Christians who are residing in large number at the foothills.
G. AHOBILAM (AP)
Ahobilam is located in Karnool district of Andhra Pradesh in the hills of the eastern ghats, about 400 KM northwest of Chennai. The temple consists of nine shrines to Lord Narasimha located around a 35 KM circle in dense forest surrounded by wild Animals.
Not many know, Ahobilam is the same place where Lord Narasimha had taken Incarnation and had killed the Demon Hiranayakashayapu. Lot of evidence is available even today - e.g. : a) Place where Lord Narasimha Appeared, b) Cave School of Prahalad, c) Vascul (door entrance) on which lord killed the Demon; d) Palace Remains of Demon Hirayanayakashayapu.
Unfortunately, no Government of Andhra Pradesh took any interest to develop or provide facilities to the oldest temple on this Earth. Poojas and aratis is conducted in only 3 temples daily and annually once for the remaining 9 temples which are in thick forest.
The Negligence on the part of the government is helping Christian Missionaries to illegally occupy Temple land and are slowly taken up the task to destroy the ancient remains of Hindus temples.
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In Tamil Nadu, H.H. Shankaracharya who whose status is not less than that of the Pope for Hindus, was arrested on Diwali night in 2004. He was humiliated, put in jail without bail and treated like a common criminal. Such a barbaric action against the most revered leader of the highly civilized and non-violent faith was tantamount to a serious assault on Hindu religion and psyche. It is over so many years now and neither the case against him has been proven nor has he been exonerated.
The statue of E V Ramasamy Naicker - Periyar for the devotees of Dravidianism has been alowed to be installed in front of the Rajagopuram of Srirangam temple. He was a known Hindu-baiter and will obviously hurt the sentiments of many. He was a man who made a life out mocking the Hindu sensibilities and sentiments. But he did that in his individual capacity. By installing his statue where Hindus congregate in large numbers, the government, seems to have given institutionalised legitimacy to his acts.
Last year (2008) the Diskhidars (around a dozen of them) of the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple were arrested on foisted charges by the TN Police with regards to the issue concerning the singing of Tamil Hymns inside the temple.
In Kerala: the Govt. hastily promulgated an ordinance on February 4, 2007 to disband The Travancore and Cochin Autonomous Devaswom Boards (TCDB) and usurped their authority. The timing, intent and integrity of the said ordinance was extremely suspicious and questionable particularly in view of the impending session of the State Assembly and the existence of a 3 man commission appointed by the High Court for investigating the allegations of corruption.
In one fiscal year Secular Keralaâs treasury was filled with Rs 268 crore solely by the revenue from Temples under Travancore Devaswom Board, Cochin Devaswom Board and Guruvayur Devaswom. How much of the money was used for temple maintenance and Hindu causes is not revealed.
According to the latest reports out of tens of thousands of temples that have abnormally been rendered dysfunctional only a few hundred are currently fully operational. As if that was not enough, under the Kerala Land Reforms Act, 13,000 acres of Guruvayoorâs land has been reduced to 230 acres amounting to 98% land loot. The revenue of this Hindu entity is subject to misuse even loot by the state authorities. In order to appease the officially inspired Christian protesters and promote their electoral base the officials unilaterally abandoned the construction of railway line from Kottayam to Erumeli to Hindu Hill Shrine.
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In Karnataka, the government has set new standards of lawlessness by taxing the temples and without any justifiable legal authority simply diverting their funds to enhance the Muslim run Madrassas and Christian run churches - both being the adversarial religions against Hinduism. Not even in the godless Soviet Union was one religion sacrificed in favor of the other. Clearly no law of the land gives any right to the establishment for siphoning Hindu funds for promoting Islam and Christianity.
Statement of Receipts and disbursements of revenues from Temples
Govt. of Karnataka
Statement of Allocation of Revenue for development purposes
Revenue/Expense From Temples
Revenue collected ( Rs. in Crores )
1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03
58.63 65.35 69.98 71 72 79
No. of Temples
2,67,073 2,67,000 2,62,035 2,54,038 2,61,012 2,48,196
1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03
Disbursement
( Rs. in Crores )
Madarsas, Mosques, Haj committee*
Compensation for Haj Pilgrim Victims
14.25 27 35 45.34 50 58
13.21 1.15
Christian institutions, churches
5 8 8 10 10 12.75
Temple renovation & maintenance
16.5 15 13.75 11.5 10 7.1
Miscellaneous
22** 17.35 5.1 2
* Disbursement for minority comm. development
** Women and child welfare programs
Note: These are approx. Figures
Source: Chief Minister's Office, Vidhan Soudha, Bangalore PH: 2225 3414 / 2225 3424
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In Orissa the NDA state government was reported planning to sell some 70,000 acres of Jagannath temple endowment lands due to a financial crunch brought about by the government mismanagement. These kind of ill-advised schemes are likely to result in the eventual closure of the famous temple. This financial stagnation was brought about by the corrupt and inefficient government control of the temple.
In Rajasthan : Through an illogical and illegal scheme supposedly to generate funds for protecting and renovating the neglected religious places, the BJP's Rajasthan government decided auctioning off temples translating into transferring the control and use of temples to the highest bidders even if they are from the competing religions. Under the project 'Apna Dham, Apna Kam, Apna Nam' a 30-year lease would be signed between the state government and private bidders on build-operate transfer basis like the national highways. The state authorities have made it amply clear that these desecrations and insults through business like transactions of shrines by the Rajasthan tourism department are limited to Hindu shrines and do not apply to mosques or churches.
The Archaeological Survey of India acquired jurisdiction over the famous temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan."
In Maharashtra, the state legislature passed and the governor promulgated a law paving the way for the authorities to interfere directly and indirectly for meddling in the rich Shirdi Sai Baba temple management, its assets, estates and revenues. This is in addition to govt. control of the famous Siddhivinayak Temple.
In Kashmir while the entire non-Muslim populations has been driven from the region and thousands of Hindus & Sikhs and their leaders have been murdered, hundreds of their temples have been looted, destroyed, occupied or converted into mosques by terrorists and their local collaborators without any prospects of their return or rebuilding. Having lost the lives of hundreds of pilgrims in the past the yatra of the Amarnath shrine, its scheduling and devotees safety remains at the mercy of Kashmir Chief Minister Mr. Mufti and his antagonistic Islamic regime. Pointing to the real character of this disloyal regime one of its senior ministers recently claimed that Kashmir was a disputed territory and therefore, should be jointly governed by India and Pakistan.
A) In February 1986 some 39 temples were destroyed in Anantnag, Srinagar, Budgam, Kupwara and Baramula districts **
B) From 1987 to 1990 at least fifteen temples were destroyed **
C) Temples desecrated and damaged in Kashmir from 1990 to December 1992 **
1. DASHNAMI AKHARA, SRINAGAR
2. GANPATYAR TEMPLE
3. RAGHUNATH MANDIR, SRINAGAR
4. SHIVA TEMPLE, JAWAHAR NAGAR, SRINAGAR
5. HANUMAN MANDIR, SRINAGAR
6. SHIVA TEMPLE, BARBAR SHAH, SRINAGAR
7. JAI DEVI TEMPLE, BIJBEHARA
8. VIJESHWAR TEMPLE, BIJBEHARA
9. SHIVA MANDIR, BIJBEHARA
10. RAGHUNATH TEMPLE, ANANTNAG
11. GAUTAM NAG TEMPLE, ANANTNAG
12. THREE TEMPLES OF LUKHBHAVAN, LARKIPURA, ANANTNAG
13. WANPOH MANDIR, ANANTNAG
14. SHAILPUTRI TEMPLE, BARAMULLA
15. DAYALGAM MANDIR, ANANTNAG
16. BHAIRAVANATH MANDIR, BARAMULLA
17. BHAIRAVANATH MANDIR, SOPORE
18. RUPABHAVANI MANDIR, VASAKURA
19. KHIRBHAVANI MANDIR, GANDERBAL
20. SHIVA TEMPLE, GANDERBAL
21. MATTAN TEMPLE, ANANTNAG
** for details refer: "J& K - Hon'ble CM : Massive destruction of temples in J&K and Talibanization of the state (Feb. 21, 2008)" --
http://www.bharatjagran.com/
Haryana Government enacted legislation to take over dozens of temples in the State, following closely on the heels of the "Kurukshetra Shrine Bill" that allowed the State to take over the functioning of 75 temples in the Kurukshetra area. Haryana was a Congress ruled state (August 2003).
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