A temple dedicated to Maryada Purushottama Sri Rama must itself become an institution upholding maryada—righteousness and rectitude. Who, in their right mind, would cavil or quarrel with such an expectation? Yet the controversy erupting over the Ramjanmabhumi temple chanda chori or dacoity of offerings, partly acknowledged but much more alleged, reminds us of the huge gap between proclaimed ideals and actual practice.
Even in the holiest of our shrines. But tell me, which important shrine, irrespective of religious affiliation or denomination, has been wholly free of allegations, controversies, scams, scandals or incidents of violence or lawlessness? Extend this question beyond Hindu temples to the holiest of the holies of other faith traditions, whether it is Harmandir Sahib, Mecca or the Vatican itself.
None, I am afraid, has been exempt.
About the Ayodhya Ram temple scandal, much has already been written, and far more spoken. The irregularities, to put it mildly, have cast a shadow over India’s most visible temple. Predictably, the issue has degenerated into partisan mudslinging.
The Opposition has seized upon it to embarrass the ruling dispensation. The BJP and the larger Sangh Parivar will undoubtedly strive to contain the damage, restore public confidence and rectify whatever has gone wrong. Television studios, digital platforms and social media have all done what they do best: amplify outrage, apportion blame and deepen existing political divides.
None of this is surprising.
For the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is no ordinary place of worship. It is the culmination of one of independent India’s most significant religious and cultural movements. For millions, it symbolises not merely the construction of a magnificent shrine but the rectification of what they regarded as a long-standing historical wrong. The emotional investment in Ayodhya, therefore, extends far beyond architecture or ritual. Any stain on its reputation inevitably wounds the sentiments of countless devotees.
What is more, the Ramjanmabhumi Movement and the subsequent return of Sri Rama to his birth city and the capital of his kingdom, many would agree, propelled the BJP to power in both Uttar Pradesh and, soon after the Centre. Now, those plotting their defeat hope that it is the same Ram Mandir that will bring about their downfall.
I wish, therefore, to steer clear of the beaten track and offer a rather different way of looking at this unhappy episode.
Every public controversy in India now seems destined to become a partisan contest. The first question invariably asked is: who stands to gain politically? A more useful question is different: what should we learn institutionally and morally?
Democracies do not mature merely by changing governments; they mature by improving institutions. Civilisations endure not because they are free of humiliations or setbacks but because they possess the capacity for self-correction and re-invention. If the present controversy prompts us to rethink how our most sacred institutions ought to be governed, posterity may judge it less by the allegations themselves than by the reforms they eventually inspired.
If the allegations are proven true, what has occurred is not merely an administrative lapse. It is a breach of trust. The issue is not simply financial impropriety or managerial incompetence. It concerns fidelity to the very ideals embodied by Lord Rama himself. This is so obvious that few, on either side of the political spectrum, would deny it.
Sri Rama, revered as Maryada Purushottama, the supreme exemplar of righteousness, restraint, propriety and duty, is worshipped not only because he was victorious. But because he exercised power in the service of justice, fulfilled all his duties and subordinated personal interest, even conjugal happiness, to uphold larger moral obligation.
It follows that a temple dedicated to him cannot be judged solely by the grandeur of its architecture or the scale of its revenues. It must also be judged by the integrity of those entrusted with its care.
For years, many Hindus have argued that Hindu temples deserve greater autonomy and less governmental interference. Whether one agrees entirely with that position or not, one principle surely follows. Greater autonomy must be matched by greater accountability.
Sacred institutions cannot ask to be trusted while resisting scrutiny. Transparency is not the enemy of faith; it is one of its strongest allies.
Indeed, Hindu civilisation has always possessed within itself the resources for ethical renewal. Dharma is not merely ritual observance; it’s righteous conduct. Temple wealth has never been meant to enrich individuals but to sustain worship, serve pilgrims and advance the larger good.
The Ram temple, indeed Hindu society, now has an unprecedented opportunity. Out of the present embarrassment can emerge a new benchmark for temple administration in India. Indeed, faith has nothing to fear, but everything to gain, from honesty.
Not that this is only a Hindu concern. Every religious community in India, every public institution, confronts the same challenge: how to ensure that power remains accountable and trust is never taken for granted. The Ram Mandir occupies a uniquely visible place in the nation’s imagination. Precisely because expectations are so high, its standards must be higher still.
The true triumph of the Ram Mandir movement will not be measured only by the temple that has been built, but by the institutional apparatus that preserves and safeguards the faith of millions. That is why the greatest opportunity presented by this unhappy controversy is one that few are yet discussing.
Hindu temples must become models of integrity, transparency, public service and ethical leadership. If Ayodhya can show the way, the present moment, painful though it is, may yet mark not the diminution of a great national achievement but the beginning of its moral fulfillment.
As a Ram bhakt and Hindu, I want our temples to be the cleanest, most honest and best managed. They should be an example to all other communities, not lag behind pitifully. That is what belonging to the majority community means.
And let the Ramjanmabhumi temple show the way. Let the custodians of the temple do whatever it takes to ensure this. That will not only serve as the prayashchita or atonement, but also as restitution exceeding the crime.
Makarand R Paranjape | RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE | Author and commentator
(Views are personal)
(On X @MakrandParanspe)