Tiruchirappalli. Vishwa Hindu Parishad has taken an initiative to free Hindu temples and religious institutions from the Governments Control, on this endeavour, VHP Central Leadership is meeting seers and saints of Hindu Dharma to seek their guidance to evolve an alternate control structure, where the temples will be administered by the Hindu samaj.
As part of this guidance seeking program, Alok Kumar Ji, The Central Working President, along with Joint General Secretary Sthanumalayan Ji, Organizing Secretary South India P.M Nagarajan Ji and VHP Workers from Tamilnadu is meeting Adenams, Saints and Sadhus Sought their blessings and guidance on this long-standing issue. Here is Trichy also we are meeting Prominent seers to their guidance on their issue.
VHP in its Central Meeting held in July 2021 has passed a resolution to Enact Central Law to free Hindu temples and religious institutions from Governments Control. The Board of Trustees of VHP is of definite view that the Hindu temples and religious institutions should be freed from the Govt. control. The
Temples in Bharat have been the nuclei of social, religious, and cultural activities of the Hindu society and the secret of the enduring nature of Hindu Nation and immortality of Mrityunjay Bharat. Hindu devotees visit temples to internalise the sanctity and serenity of the place and contribute their offerings so that the educational institutions, health services, festivals, religious and social projects/activities run by the temples could be run in an apt manner. Therefore, besides conducting the daily sacraments and related activities, the temples have remained in vanguard supporting the society in times of crisis and emergency.
The irony is that the state governments get their hands on many such rich temples of the country and spend the contributions of devotees illogically and arbitrarily. Even the money of temples is appeasingly used to serve the non-Hindu causes. The Hindu religious institutions have been controlled by Governments since the British times. For this purpose, Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act, 1926 was enacted.
As a consequence of this law, the management and administration of our religious institutions was taken over by the British Government. Our temples are still being acquired under the cover of this black law, whereas in the Chidambaram Natraj Temple case, the Madras High Court has clearly said that the governments should free the Hindu temples from government control.
Now the time has come for a comprehensive discussion regarding the management of Hindu temples and other religious institutions. Transparency and accountability should be ensured in the new framework of temple management. While deciding on the new frameworks, temple traditions, hereditary arrangements, the role of Archaks and sections dependent on the temples’ income and participation of devotees will have to be taken into account.
The government cannot be the owner of the temples. The governments and the courts of law can have some minimal necessary role, when required. What and how much would be that role, must be considered by all stakeholders.
Given the diversity of the Hindu society, there can be no uniform framework if the management of all temples. Different approaches must be explored keeping in mind different traditions, customs, and ways of worship. It is now urgent to take necessary steps in this regard at a fast pace.
VHP appeals to the Central Government to make a central law to handover Hindu Temples and religious institutions to the Hindu society, so that saints and devotees could refurbish and do up their religious and administrative systems and their traditions oriented towards ensuring the spirituo-socio-cultural dynamism of Mrityunjay Bharat.
We also call upon the Hindu Society to safeguard and enhance be vigilant about the sanctity of temples, its traditions and environment.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad also calls upon The Tamilnadu government to drop the plans to monetize the Temple ornaments by melting the ornaments into gold bars, which were donated by millions of devotees to the temples over the years. The devotees have donated to the temple for a specific reason and belief, and VHP states that Government do not have any rights to melt the ornaments into gold bars and deposited in the banks as it Is a matter of faith and belief.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad calls upon Tamilnadu Government to enact an Anti-conversion law, to prevent conversions of Hindus by various other religious institutions under Threats, Undue pressure, Allurements and False Promises. This law will enable Tamilnadu to maintain its social fabric which in turn helps in maintaining law and order of the state and prevent anti national activities within the state in the name of conversions.