Wednesday 1 August 2018

ஆலய சொத்து (அல்ல) ஆண்டவனையே கபளீகரம் செய்யும் அறத்துறை


There are thousands of devotees in Temple – there are so many temples in the South – just for example the most holy Thirumala Tirupathi would stand tall and above every other temple in sheer number of devotees and the donations. There are other temples as well – Sri Kanaka Durgamma temple in Bezawada, Kollur Mookambika, Kukke Subramanya swami, Udupi Sri Krishna in Karnataka; the most famous Guruvayur Sri Krishna, Sabarimala Sri Iyappan Devasthanam, Attukkal Bhagawathi amman  temple, Sri Padmanabhaswami temple ~ then there are so many divyadesangal and padal petra sthalams of Tamil nadu.

If one were to look at the first point of difference – it is the administration – Temples in almost every other place is managed by Boards / DEvaswoms / dharmakarthas / devotees having faith in the Lord and doing every act in the name of GOD .. .. but in Tamil Nadu, Temples are but revenue generators next to tasmac – temples are under the control of Govt, administered by atheists and the donations made to the temple find their way to any activity totally unconnected with the temple and the purpose of donation. Sad is the state of affairs.

While the real baktha who comes to the temple for worshipping and those innumerable devotees who contribute to the temple for its betterment – are kept out- provided no facilities, made to wait in the queue for long hours – one would find officials, politicians and those closer to these two identifies go near the Lord without standing in the Queue....  closer to GOD

It is a shame – on 31st July 2018, Idol Wing sleuths  arrested M Kavitha, Additional Commissioner of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department (HR&CE) on charges of misappropriation of gold in the two panchaloha idols made for the Ekambaranathar temple in Kancheepuram. The two idols, which were supposed to contain 5.75 kg of gold together and whose making was overseen by the then Deputy Commissioner of HRCE, Kavitha, did not contain even a single gram of gold, according to Idol Wing officials.  One should not be seeing this as a fallen disgraceful act of one individual – perhaps it is the failure of the system itself.

Here is what could be read in HR&CE site :  The management and control of the temples and the administration of their endowments is one of the primary responsibilities of the State.  A number of measures have been undertaken prior to the year 1925 for efficient control and supervision of the administration of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments.  In the Act 1 of 1925, the Government constituted " Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board" consisting of a President and two to four Commissioners nominated by the Government to function as a statutory body. Subsequently, Act 1 of 1925 was repealed by the Act 2 of 1927, which was followed by several modifications up to the year 1951. ~ even there, one thing is CLEAR – IT IS THE ADMINISTRATION AND NOT THE OWNERSHIP – AGAIN, ADMINISTRATION OF MONETARY ACTIVITIES CERTAINLY NOT THE RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES – BUT GO TO ANY TEMPLE AND SEE IT ALL BY YOURSELF – THE WAY THE OFFICIALS BEHAVE =- CAN ONE TOUCH HEART AND ASK WHY WOULD THE LORD READY FOR PROCESSION WAITS FOR THE EO/AC / DC TO COME AND HAVE DARSHAN ~ ARE THEY ABOVE THE LORD – DON’T THEY FEEL ASHAMED ?

SURE you have had darshan at holy Tirumala – after  passing through the Padi Kavali Maha Dvara, you will find yourself in an open mandapam called the Krishna Deva Raya Mandapam or Pratima Mandapam.  There you would see bronze  portrait icons of the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya and his two consorts, Tirumaladevi to his left, and Chinnadevi to his right. All three icons face the main shrine, with their hands joined in supplication.  For those who do not know history, Sri Krishna Deva Raya was a great emperor ruling from Vijayanagar. 

The year 1001 A.D. saw the first inroad into India of the Muhammadans from over the north-west border, under Mahmud of Ghazni. He invaded first the plains of the Panjab, then Multan, and afterwards other places.  His expeditions were raids and nothing more. Other invasions, however, followed in quick succession, and after the lapse of two centuries the Muhammadans were firmly and permanently established at Delhi. War followed war,  In 1309 Malik Kafur,  swept into the Deccan akhan and captured Warangal. That was a period when marauders raided, killed thousands of hindus and pillaged all material wealth.   When ruin and devastation were the only happening, came the raise of Vijayanagara Empire came the check to the wave of invasion and those mighty Kings stand with folded hands in Temple – just compare with the modern day administrators, their words, deeds and behaviour in temples !!! .

Sad, sad, is the modern day looting – sometimes the officials empowered by a draconian statute to prevent are also involved – sadder still, they are looting not the revenue but playing with the IDOLS OF GODS TOO .. .. WHAT PUNISHMENT DO THEY DESERVE.

NEWS reports state that in  2015, Tamil Nadu chief sthapathi M Muthaiah advised the HR&CE on making new idols of Ezhavarkuzhali and Somaskandar, pointing out that the idols made in 2009 had not complied with the traditional rules. Permission was granted and orders were laid down that the Somaskandar idol should weigh 50 kg and the Ezhavarkuzhali idol 65 kg, amounting to a net total of 115 kgs. But the order was revised to make the idols weighing 111 kg and 63 kg respectively.

The department also provided alloy compositions needed for the making of the idols. An idol should contain 5% gold, 1% silver, 80% copper, 12% brass and 2% tin. Five percent of 115 kg will be 5.75 kg of gold.Investigators said that though the HR & CE officials had collected huge quantum of gold as donation for the idols, it was not used at all and swindled by them. The idols were made at Swamimalai near Kumbakonam on the orders of the Hindu Religious and Endowment board in 2015. The temple executive officer invited gold donations for the idols but never kept an account of the accepted gold ornaments, an official involved in the investigations said. After sculpting, both idols were brought to the Kancheepuram temple and installed.

The issue of came to light after one Annamalai lodged a complaint with the police. As no action was taken, the magistrate court ordered the police to probe the case. Idol Wing sleuths have  arrested M Kavitha, Additional Commissioner of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department (HR&CE) on charges of misappropriation of gold in the two panchaloha idols made for the Ekambaranathar temple in Kancheepuram. The two idols, which were supposed to contain 5.75 kg of gold together and whose making was overseen by the then Deputy Commissioner of HRCE, Kavitha, did not contain even a single gram of gold, according to Idol Wing officials.

Only recently, we have been reading the run / anticipatory bail plea of P. Dhanapal, former HR & CE Commissioner who is wanted by the Idol Wing police in the Palani idol case. The esteemed sthapathi had already been arrested.  The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court dismissed the bail plea of   Mr. Dhanapal who moved the court seeking anticipatory bail after the Idol Wing police, led by Inspector General of Police A.G. Pon Manickavel, issued summons to him. But he failed to respond to the summons served at his houses in Chennai and Pudukottai, his native place. The case against the petitioner was filed under Sections 403 (Dishonest misappropriation of property), 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant), 418 (Cheating), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 120-B (Punishment for criminal conspiracy) and 477 A (Falsification of accounts) of the Indian Penal Code.

So far, the Idol Wing has arrested four persons in the case pertaining to the alleged conspiracy to replace the main idol of Sri Dandayuthapaniswamy Temple in Palani in 2004.  MORE ;; ; Irked by the increasing number of complaints of thefts of ancient idols in Tamil Nadu, Madras High Court has issued an ultimatum to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. As reported by The Hindu, Justice R Mahadevan on Wednesday (11 July) warned Tamil Nadu government that he would be constrained to order a Central Bureau of Investigation probe if the HR&CE Department did not get its act together.

The judge made the statement taking cognizance of recent newspaper reports of a Panchaloha idol having been stolen from the famous Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai district, and a complaint made by Rangarajan Narasimhan of Tiruchi about the theft of precious artefacts from the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam. “It is a very sorry state of affairs in the State. This is totally unacceptable. The petitioner [Mr. Narasimhan] has been repeatedly approaching the government officials, but not an inch has moved. If idols are missing from each and every temple, then we will have to ask the CBI to probe into it. Why should there be a HR&CE department at all?,” the judge asked, according to the daily’s report.

Conveniently, the HR&CE feigned ignorance saying that the petitioner had not brought it to the notice of the department and had only been making repeated complaints to the police. "Now that we have come to know of his complaint, we shall take immediate action. I will ask the officials to start finding out the veracity of his claim right now,” said HR&CE counsel SP Maharajan. But Narasimhan told the court that he was tired of bringing these matters to the notice of  both the HR&CE as well as the police with regard to missing of precious idols, doors made of exotic wood, many kalasams, sculptures, unblemished granite pavements and other treasures that were said to be buried by erstwhile royals on the 157-acre temple campus.

In another case, petitioner named G Rajendran told the court that several ancient idols worth hundreds of crores at Uma Maheshwarar Temple in Konerirajapuram in Nagapattinam district were kept in a small room with an ordinary lock. And so were around 30 panchaloga idols at Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple at Senthalai village near Tirukattupalli in Thanjavur district. He sought police protection for the idols stored in both the temples. The judge, clearly miffed with the rising complaints and inaction, has adjourned further hearings till Friday, by when the counsel for HR&CE department and the police are required to submit details of action taken on the Srirangam missing artefacts case.

HR&CE AND ITS OFFICIALS WHAT TO SAY … they put up defaulters list – who is to blame, those who have not paid or those who poorly administered – or these unscrupulous criminals who have tried to make money on the LORD HIMSELF !
~ a very sad bakth.