Hindu temples in the hands of the state government
The utilization of phrases such as “Hindus as the eighth- class citizens” and “State-sanctioned apartheid” may initially come across as rather forceful. Yet, upon closer examination of the available data, careful scrutiny of the statistics, and a thorough evaluation of the examples presented by Author Dr. Ranganathan in his book “Hindus In Hindu Rashtra : Eighth-Class Citizens And Victims Of State-Sanctioned Apartheid”, it becomes increasingly apparent that this portrayal reflects a disconcerting reality in post-Independence India. While accommodating a specific community is one thing, actively discriminating against another community in a manner that is embedded in the legal framework and the constitution is an entirely different matter. The former may be somewhat tolerable, but the latter gives rise to profound ethical and legal concerns.
Let’s consider, for instance, the government’s control over Hindu temples. This not only contradicts the notion of ‘secularism’ celebrated in the Preamble of the 1976 Constitution but also demonstrates a palpable bias against the majority community. As underscored by Dr. Ranganathan, “Governments in just 10 states exercise authority over more than 110,000 Hindu temples. In Tamil Nadu, Temple Trusts possess an astonishing 478,000 acres of temple land. The Tamil Nadu government alone manages 36,425 temples and 56 mutts, with Karnataka not far behind at 34,563.” Even the Kerala government, led by “Godless” communists who dismiss religion as “the opium of the masses,” oversees 3,058 temples.
Historically, every foreign invader aiming to undermine India and dismantle Hinduism singled out Hindu temples as their primary target. Contrary to the arguments put forth by renowned historians such as Mohammed Habib, the father of Irfan Habib, who proposed economic motives for temple destruction, the reality is that temples were primarily chosen for destruction because they served as hubs not only for religious worship but also for education, art, dance, trade, and economic activities. It was this intricate temple ecosystem that has helped sustain Hindu society through the ages, despite our silence on this issue until today.
The government’s control of Hindu temples is also embroiled in a significant financial scandal within the country. T.R. Ramesh, President of the Temple Worshippers Society, who has waged a prolonged battle on this front, has pointed out that the Tamil Nadu government, which should ideally generate at least Rs 6,000 crore annually from the 2.44 crore sq ft of temple land it administers, only manages to collect approximately Rs 58 crore. Furthermore, many temple lands across states are encroached upon by land mafias, often with political backing and complicity. The history of government control of Hindu temples in India dates back to British colonial rule in 1793, with Regulation VII of 1793 giving the British East India Company authority to manage poorly administered temples, grounded in the belief that Hindus were incapable of self-management. This practice persists today.
Source : Firspost & Hindus in Hindu Rashtra (Eighth-Class Citizens and Victims of State- Sanctioned Apartheid) by Anand Ranganathan
Top 3 Hindu temples with the highest revenues :-
Tirupati Balaji, Andhra Pradesh: The Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirupati, dating back to the 10th century, stands as one of the world’s most significant pilgrimage sites. With an astonishing daily average of 30,000 visitors, the temple accumulates an incredible USD 6 million per day, resulting in a staggering annual income. As of last year, it possessed assets exceeding 900 crores, including an impressive 52 tonnes of gold ornaments. Annually, over 3000 kg of gold, generously donated by pilgrims, is converted into gold reserve deposits with nationalized banks.
Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kerala: Nestled in Thiruvananthapuram, the Padmanabhaswamy Temple is celebrated not only as India’s richest temple but also as the wealthiest globally. Rumored to house over one trillion worth of treasures concealed within its chambers, it boasts a collection of priceless gold ornaments, idols, crowns, and jewelry, with the Golden Idol of Mahavishnu alone valued at a staggering INR 500 Crore.
Shri Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu: Perched within a million-year-old cave, just 14 km from Katra, the divine Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu draws more than 10 million pilgrims annually, ranking as the second most-visited Temple after Tirupati. Devoted to Goddess Vaishnavi, this temple possesses an impressive 1.2 tonnes of gold and has received substantial gold donations over the course of five years. The temple is estimated to amass INR 500 crores in donations each year, firmly securing its place among India’s most affluent temples.
As Ranganathan points out, “A petition by Swami Parmatmananda and Swami Dayananda Saraswati has been pending in the Supreme Court since 2012, for more than a decade. They can arrange midnight hearings for clemency appeals by terrorists but cannot find the time for this.” Swami Dayananda Saraswati passed away in 2015 without seeing his plea entertained by the judiciary. Source : Holidify
Places of Worship Act
Nevertheless, discrimination against Hindu temples is not the whole story. In 1959, the grand old party introduced legislation that largely overturned a Supreme Court judgment to place Hindu temples under state control. The government’s silence on the Places of Worship Act, 1991 is concerning. This Act prohibits the conversion of any place of worship and mandates maintaining the religious character of such places as of August 15, 1947. In the 2019 Ayodhya judgment, the Supreme Court endorsed this Act, which essentially preserves the status of all religious sites, except Ram Janmabhoomi, as they were on August 15, 1947, despite it being a 75-year-old reference in an 8,000- year-old civilization. The Act fundamentally denies an aggrieved citizen the right to seek legal recourse if their place of worship is vandalized or destroyed, leaving them without an avenue for justice.
Right to Education Act
Similarly, the Congress-led UPA’s Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2009 has had a similar impact on Hindu educational institutions. Just like the state’s control over temples, state interference in Hindu schools remains a troubling reality, even nine years after the Modi government assumed power with a decisive majority in May 2014. Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, private Hindu schools are obligated to set aside 25 percent of their seats for economically disadvantaged students, a requirement that doesn’t apply to minority schools. This means that Hindu schools must cater to poor students and cover their expenses, including textbooks, uniforms, and transportation. While the government theoretically reimburses these schools for these expenses, a 2017 report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) revealed that it took the government a lengthy 307 days to release these funds to schools. As a result, more than 10,000 Hindu-run schools have reportedly shut down due to financial challenges caused by RTE compliance, with little response from the government on this issue over the past nine years.
The lack of teaching the Vedas, a rich source of knowledge in various fields, in the Indian education system can be attributed to a historical misconception rooted in British colonialism. This misconception arose from the British policy, as outlined by Lord Macaulay, a British parliamentarian to undermine Indian culture and knowledge. Lord Macaulay’s education policy of 1835 transformed education in India. It promoted a Western education system that prioritized English language and literature over indigenous wisdom and customs. This led to the erosion of India’s diverse cultural and intellectual heritage, perpetuating colonial rule.The British equated Indian culture with religion and classified Hindus as idol worshippers, depicting them as barbarians.
This classification of Hinduism as a religion allowed the British to bring it under the legal framework governing religions, making the teaching of Vedas equivalent to the propagation of a religion. As a result, the teaching of Vedas was shifted to cultural centers outside the regular education system, which hindered the spread of this valuable knowledge necessary for success in various fields. This historical distortion and classification continue to impact the education system in India.
Appointments of Non-Hindus
The appointment of non-Hindus to boards that control Hindu temples raises questions about the suitability and understanding of these individuals to manage institutions deeply rooted in Hindu religious traditions. This practice ignores the sentiments and beliefs of the Hindu community, undermining their autonomy and religious rights. The situation of Hindu temples in India is alarming. State government control over these temples, financial mismanagement and encroachment on temple land, as well as the slowness of the judiciary to deal with these issues, are all signs of an institutional indifference that borders on discrimination. Since the BJP came to power, little has been done to repair the damage done to our educational system and temples, with the exception of the Ram Mandir. Take the example of Turkey, whose President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered in 2020 that a former Orthodox church become a mosque, and then that a popular museum in Istanbul become a Muslim place of worship again. Sanskrit may lack resources and find fewer students in India, but there are schools and universities in the UK where the language is flourishing.
A wake-up call is needed for this over-tolerant Hindu population of India