Hindu Unity & Temple Liberation – Need of the Hour

The clarion call for Hindu unity is issued not for strengthening the base of any political party or ensuring it’s thumping victory. There is much to earn and acquire from the colossal Hindu unity, which spans over petty political gains. But not many are actually aware of this spiritual reality- which is exactly why many use the baton of ‘secularism’ to vehemently oppose the concept, everytime the need for Hindu unity is discussed.

The very reason why Devaswom Board was formed is very interesting- Hindus are divided on the basis of caste and hence lack common leadership and therefore it is imperative that the government take over Hindu temples and all allied properties.
Now take the case of those Semitic religions that have been thriving here under religious heads- they have ensured that their places of worship have fully secured rights. So, what is the end result? Members of these clans enhance their schools, hospitals and religious study centres with the income generated by their places of worship. The money is also used to start various enterprises which ensure prosperity and growth of those that belong to their religion as well. But what does temple wealth do for Hindus? It is a well known fact that Hindus do not benefit, even in the least, by the money that flows into temples- probably a school or college under the Devaswom Board, for namesake. But these institutions are the ones that ensure anti-social activities like hosting of beef festival and giving wide publicity to sexually explicit incidents like ‘kiss of love’.

Let’s take into account, the income generated by principle Hindu temples in Kerala. Sabarimala for instance gives the state government over 100 crore rupees as income. Out of this mammoth amount, a mere one crore alone is needed for initiating schools for Adivasis of Kerala. Even today, those few schools in Wayanad and Attappadi have no teachers. Children do not even have mid day meals! And going back to the days of yore, there was a seer, who raised his voice against the piteous plight of the Adivasis- Swami Ayyappan. And these Adivasis, out of gratitude, gathering together from their mountain dwellings lit a lamp on an auspicious day which, today is venerated as Makarajyothi. The event which is being observed for years displays their humility and total supplication.

However today, they have been driven away mercilessly, with administrative goons lighting the sacrosanct flame with absolutely no knowledge of its divine inception. Whither lies devotion here? Will Manikanddha Swamy ever forgive such atrocities? Isn’t it rightfully ethical to give a share of Sabarimala’s revenue to the welfare of the Adivasis? Those starving in Nilambur and Wayand and succumbing to terminal diseases owing to non availability of not just life saving medicines, but even the basic drugs are our brothers!

My dear Hindu brothers and sisters, it should be remembered that the government is denying them their rightful financial share. These Hindu Adivasis are being retained in their impoverished state by the government for ulterior motives, one of them being conversion to Semetic religions. They stand helpless before the scheming agendas of Christian evangelists, land mafia barons and the government that backs them. But there should be an end for this. Money from Hindu temples should be used to uplift those of the backward Hindu community who are languishing for want of a safe dwelling and for want of a proper job to fend for their families.

The days of Brahmin hegemony culminated long back. Kerala stands witness to the plight of those impoverished temple priests, who stand at the mercy of unscrupulous politicians. These priests quell pangs of hunger from the sacred meals offered to the deity- all this, after being subject to various forms of humiliation.

In Kerala, Islamic religious heads are given boundless increment in wages, Christian priests are given land in galore. And then, when it comes to Hindu priests, their condition stands deplorable. Do temple priests actually have a regular income?

Apart from starting endeavours that uplift the plight of the downtrodden among Hindus, steps must be taken to embark on enterprises that will create jobs for Hindus youths.

And in addition to this, the government should ensure that money from Hindu temples be used for reinstation and resurrection of Hindu Dharma, it’s promotion and propagation, along with the setting up of schools that promote Vedic studies. Not many are aware that Devaswom laws sTate clearly about government making use of their own resources if temple resources lack the same, for implementing the things stated above. Have you, as a Hindu heard of any government initiative where any Kerala government that came to term, initiated Vedic studies and converted our temples into spiritual study centres?

My dear Hindu brethren, getting these done Is your right. There is no need for you to remain subservient before anyone. They are legally yours. And yet, why isn’t it possible for us to get these done or acquire our due share? Hope you remember the arrival of a Vatican agent to seek details when a remote church was stoned here. But alas! The Hindu has no representative to raise grievance or question the matter when kilos of gold stood lost from Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple or when the treasure was stolen from Sree Poornathrayesha Temple! This scenario can change only if our community leaders will. A common Hindu Board should be constituted, where every Hindu community will have representative members. It should be under the aegis of our spiritual Gurus who have nothing but the welfare of all in mind. The board should initiate and supervise all activities aimed at development of Hindus using temple funds- setting up of educational institutions, hospitals, business ventures etc. The income generated from these enterprises should be used for maintenance and prosperity of temples. And with the surplus wealth, those in the Hindu community, who live below poverty line, should be reinstated.