VIJAYAWADA: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) held ‘Hyndava Sankharavam’ at Kesarapalli near Vijayawada on Sunday. Around 2 lakh people from different parts of Andhra Pradesh attended the public meeting.
A nine-point declaration was adopted at ‘Hyndava Sankharavam’, which was attended by 150 seers, saints and top VHP leaders. Speakers exhorted Hindus to protect temples with the slogan ‘Mana Deeksha, Devalaya Raksha’. The entire meeting venue echoed with chants of ‘Jai Sriram.’
Addressing the public meeting, VHP international president Alok Kumar raised concerns over the temple management in Andhra Pradesh. “Every temple in the State is required to allocate 7% of its income to the government and with 5% going to the Common Good Fund. Additionally, temples need to pay high taxes and power tariff. But, the government distributes the income accrued from Hindu temples to other communities in the guise of secularism, looting Hindu resources,” he alleged.
Alok Kumar deplored the government’s interference in the temple administration, where executive officers, not Dharmacharyas, take all the decisions weakening the system. Though the temples owned 10 lakh acres of land, the extent of encroachments remains unknown, he said.
The temple management should be handed over to the Hindu community, who are their rightful custodians, he demanded.
‘Endowments dept should be abolished’
Swami Govind Dev Giri Ji Maharaj, treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, underlined the need for protecting Hindu Dharma, linking India’s safety to global welfare.
He described scriptures, saints, cows, pilgrim centres and temples as pillars of Hindu culture. “Temples, which are the abodes of Gods that inspire faith, should remain free from government control,” he asserted.
VHP international organising secretary general Milind Srikanth Parande said the liberation of the temples from government control, a longstanding Hindu demand, was launched in Vijayawada. VHP leaders met Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and BJP State president Purandeswari, underlining the need from freeing temples from the government control, he said. VHP national vice-president Gokaraju Gangaraju, in his presidential address, stressed the need for provision of autonomy to temples to protect their sanctity, excluding non-religious individuals from the trust boards.
Former Chief Secretary LV Subramanyam criticised the Endowments Act, 1987, terming it a blow to the Hindu temple system as it treated priests as mere employees, besides introducing retirement for them, which he deemed unfair.
VHP central joint general secretary Koteshwar Sharma said the Hindu temples should be managed by the Hindu community only through local religious trusts, comprising hereditary trustees, priests and devotees. He stressed the importance of following each temple’s unique Agama Sastra, customs and traditions, free from any government interference.
Kamalananda Bharati Swamy deplored the sale of Darshan and Prasadam tickets in temples like cinemas, and called for the abolition of the Endowments Department. He attributed the attacks, looting of resources, and temple mismanagement to lack of proper awareness, stressing the need for unity among Hindus to reclaim temple autonomy.
Noted lyricist Sankharavam Anantha Sriram expressed concern over the film industry’s commercialisation harming Hinduism, citing distortions of epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharat, and urged the community to raise their voice against the poor depiction.
‘Hyndava Sankharavam’ Declaration
The laws should be amended to grant full autonomy to Hindu temples
It should be ensured that puja, prasad and other temple rituals are conducted with devotion
Employees of other faiths working in Hindu temples and temple-run service organisations should be removed
Only non-political, religious individuals who practise dharma with devotion should be appointed to temple trust boards
The government should take immediate steps to prevent the alienation of temple properties, and recover the alienated lands
The income generated by temples should solely be used for Hindu religious activities and community services
Individuals attacking Hindu community members, temples, properties and institutions should be punished sternly
No restrictions should be imposed on celebrations of festivals like Vinayaka Chavithi, Dasara and Hanuman Jayanti
No restrictions should also be imposed on the routes, time or date of Hindu religious processions