[Assam] The Sustained Loot of Hindu Temples - Sentinel Op Ed

[Ram Sarangapani]

C'da,

I think you may be missing the big point here. The article is not about
Kamath or even Hinduism (as you might think:-)). There is a bigger problem
here.

If it is true that funds collected by Hindu temples (the Tirupati temple in
Andhra Pradesh is a good example), then does it not stand to reason that the
money collected ought to be used for the express purpose of the development
or upkeep of temples?

My contention is that such funds collected in the name of the religion ought
not to be spent on say, wildlife management or defense for example. Even
those areas may be forgiven - that sad story is that in India, a whole lot
such loot goes directly to line the pockets of the guardians of the temples
right to the temple boards & montris.

Some years ago, there was also a scam related to WAKF (mosque management
boards in India). In those cases too, funds were stolen. So, it is not just
temples, but mosques too.

>** Indeed! But, but, how come the DEVOTEES are NOT protesting it? Were they
unaware
>of it ? Are they still not aware of it? Where is the outrage?

Many devotees of all the these religions are well aware that money is
stolen.. but there is more powerful pull to the temples & mosques :-)

Like everything else in India, it is taken for granted, and sadly expected.

So, just because there isn't an outrage, or maybe even awareness, the fact
is funds are still stolen, and a lot of it NOT used for implicit purpose of
the religious places.

Many of the temple boards, the WAKF, and even some Christian missions are
supposedly highly corrupt. The Tirupati board has long known to be very
corrupt .... but money keeps pouring into the coffers, and politicians and
babus all get into sharing the loot.

Unshaken, blind faith from devotees, a chalta-hai public, and thieves
guarding the coffers make a near perfect combination.

--Ram


On Sun, Jan 23, 2011 at 11:05 AM, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at gmail.com> wrote:

> Oh, those poor Hindus! My heart goes out to Kamath and his fellow victims
> in Hindudom.
> Good to see that they finally have found a saviour in Knapp, he who ALSO
> has discovered
> and revealed evidence that the Taj Mahal actually was a Hindu Temple (
> http://www.stephen-knapp.com/was_the_taj_mahal_a_vedic_temple.htm).
>
> Having expressed my empathy for the hapless Hindu, I am left a bit
> perplexed by Kamath, him who I once
> denounced in this forum as an idiotic writer, much to the displeasure of
> some of my fellow kharkhowa netters.
> Is he suggesting that India is a NOT a democratic state, but really an
> autocratic one, in which the govt.
> can and does usurp religious property and their wealth, particularly of the
> Hindus, thus perhaps
> it really is an agent of them Muslim hordes? Or is he really venting his
> anti-Congress sentiments, in the
> guise of a defender of secular democracy? Not that they don't s deserve it,
> but is HE or his CRONIES
> are really some who could be trusted to the right things?
>
>
> > It is claimed that
> > they can sell the temple assets and properties and use the money in any
> way
> > they choose. A charge has been made not by any temple authority, but by a
> > foreign writer, Stephen Knapp, in a book (Crimes against India and the
> Need
> > to Protect Ancient Vedic Tradition) published in the United States that
> > makes shocking reading.
>
>
> *** It IS claimed? NOT by any Hindu Temple authority, but a truly higher
> authority,
> such as Knapp? Shocking indeed!. But how is it that Kamath has not looked
> into the
> veracity of the CLAIM on his own, to verify how much of it is true? Or is
> he satisfied with
> Knapps authority, since he plays to his sentiments?
>
> Does it seem like something a thoughtful columnist will do? Or a thoughtful
> or analytical
> reader will find of value?
>
>
> > If presently, money collected has ever been misused
> > (and that word needs to be defined), it is for the devotees to protest
> and
> > not for any government to interfere.
>
> *** Indeed! But, but, how come the DEVOTEES are NOT protesting it? Were
> they unaware
> of it ? Are they still not aware of it? Where is the outrage? How come they
> have not invoked
> their gods to bring calamity to the Kongresswallas, or take to the streets?
>
> Oops, I get it: ">---they would be damned as communalists". Tsk, tsk!
>
> Does this intellectual have his head screwed on right?
>
>
> > Another charge that has been made is that the Andhra Government has also
> > allowed the demolition of at least ten temples for the construction of a
> > golf course. “Imagine the outcry,” writes Knapp, “if ten mosques had been
> > demolished.”
>
>
> *** Surely not hard to imagine that. But what does it mean? That the Hindus
> are weak,
> spineless? Or does it mean that they don't really care? They know, but hey,
> one has to go on
> living, so why bother?
>
> If so, why is Kamath bothered? Is he trying to acquire power by whipping up
> Hindu outrage?
> Or is he attempting to do that for the object of his empathies, namely the
> Hinduttwawallas?
>
>
>
> >“Why such occurrences are so often not known is that the Indian
> > media, especially the English television and press, are often anti-Hindu
> in
> > their approach, and thus not inclined to give much coverage, and
> certainly
> > no sympathy, for anything that may affect the Hindu community.
>
>
> **** Personally, I don't trust these people myself. But, I would be curious
> about
> WHY the English language media is so anti-Hindu? Is it because they are
> controlled by
> people who are, say, radical or even benign Muslims? Agents of the Vatican?
> Foreign
> enemies? What??
>
> Kamath obviously agrees, because he chose to accept Knapps verdict without
> attempting to analyze?
> How would the thoughtful Assamnet reader view it? Explain it?
>
>
> >A charge is made that the communist
> >
> > State government of Kerala wants to pass an Ordinance to disband the
> > Travancore & Cochin Autonomous Devaswom Boards (TCDBs) and take over
> their
> > limited independent authority of 1,800 Hindu temples.
>
> **** Well? Is it true? If it IS, what should be done about it and WHO
> should do it? We are listening, Kamath Bhai.
>
>
>
> > Knapp obviously is on record. If
> > the facts produced by him are incorrect, it is up to the government to
> say
> > so.
>
> *** Yeah? Will it?
>
> One can't avoid wondering about Kamath's ability to reason here,
> considering
> that he ought to be very familiar with Indian Govt. responsiveness to its
> people.
>
>
>
> > It is quite possible that some individuals might have set up temples to
> > deal with lucrative earnings. But that, surely, is none of the
> government’s
> > business?
>
> *** No?
>
> Kamath, on the one hand wants this Guvmint to explain why it usurps
> temples'
> properties and wealth as charged by Knapp, but on the other hand does not
> want
> the Govt. to get involved if fake Temple businesses  are looting the
> people.
>
> Has  this guy been smoking something he should not be?
>
>
> > Instead of taking over all earnings, the government surely can
> > appoint local committees to look into temple affairs so that the amount
> > discovered is fairly used for the public good?
>
>
> *** It should?
>
>
> > Says Knapp:“Nowhere in the free, democratic world are the religious
> > institutions managed, maligned and controlled by the government, thus
> > denying the religious freedom of the people of the country. But it is
> > happening in India
>
>
> Yo Kamath, do you read good? Did you forget that Temples ought not to be
> the Guvmint's bidness?
> Like churches or mosques or Xotros? The damn Guvmint should be the LAST
> entity to
> APPOINT committees to administer Temples. It ought to be done by those who
> use
> them, sustain them.
>
> Sheesh!
>
> This Kamath guy is a piece of work. I wonder if he reads what he writes
> before he sends them out for publication.
> And of course it is hard not to notice that rags that publish them don't
> either.
>
> cm
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 21, 2011, at 10:25 PM, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>
> > I think people have long known that funds collected in temples have been
> > misused right from the get go. This Op Ed tells us how serious ans big
> the
> > problem has become.
> >
> > --Ram
> >
> >
> >
> > The Sustained Loot of Hindu Temples
> >
> > *The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act of 1951 allows State
> > governments and politicians to take over Hindu temples and maintain
> complete
> > control over them and their properties. It is claimed that they can sell
> the
> > temple assets and properties*
> >
> > While Congress leaders are hell-bent on damning the RSS — it is an old
> game
> > that has long ceased to have any meaning — they seem to be unaware (or
> > deliberately wish to ignore) that as late as on July 4, 2010, the right
> hand
> > of a 53-year-old Christian College professor (One TJ Joseph) was chopped
> off
> > by Muslim fundamentalists, at Thodapurzha, Iduki district, in Kerala, for
> > alleged blasphemy. Digvijay Singh probably does not want to be reminded
> of
> > this. Nor, one suspects, would he be anxious to know that police found
> out
> > that this heinous crime was committed as part of the implementation of
> the
> > verdict of a Shariah court run by fundamentalist elements in Kerala. The
> > police apparently discovered that 14 such parallel courts have been
> running
> > in Kerala for the last 20 years, and Kerala Home Minister Kodiveri
> > Balakrishnan has been reported as confessing that since 1993, 22 murders
> > have taken place under the direction of the Shariah courts in Kerala
> (vide,
> > Mangalam, July 21, 2010).
> >
> > Digvijay Singh can check this bit of information as could Rahul Gandhi.
> At
> > the same time they could both check out on the performance of the Hindu
> > Religious and Charitable Endowment Act of 1951 which allows State
> > governments and politicians to take over thousands of Hindu temples and
> > maintain complete control over them and their properties. It is claimed
> that
> > they can sell the temple assets and properties and use the money in any
> way
> > they choose. A charge has been made not by any temple authority, but by a
> > foreign writer, Stephen Knapp, in a book (Crimes against India and the
> Need
> > to Protect Ancient Vedic Tradition) published in the United States that
> > makes shocking reading.
> >
> > Hundreds of temples in centuries past have been built in India by devout
> > rulers, and the donations given to them by devotees have been used for
> the
> > benefit of the people. If presently, money collected has ever been
> misused
> > (and that word needs to be defined), it is for the devotees to protest
> and
> > not for any government to interfere. This latter is what has been
> happening
> > currently under an intrusive law. It would seem, for instance, that under
> a
> > Temple Empowerment Act, about 34,000 temples in Andhra Pradesh have come
> > under government control and only 18 per cent of the revenue of these
> > temples have been returned for temple purposes, the remaining 82 per cent
> > being used for purposes unstated. Apparently even the world famous
> Tirumala
> > Tirupati Temple has not been spared. According to Knapp, the temple
> collects
> > over Rs 3,100 crore every year, “and the State Government has not denied
> the
> > charge that as much as 85 per cent of this is transferred to the State
> > Exchequer, much of which goes to causes that are not connected with the
> > Hindu community”. Is it for that reason that devotees make their
> offerings
> > to the temples?
> >
> > Another charge that has been made is that the Andhra Government has also
> > allowed the demolition of at least ten temples for the construction of a
> > golf course. “Imagine the outcry,” writes Knapp, “if ten mosques had been
> > demolished.” It would seem that in Karnataka, Rs 79 crore was collected
> from
> > about 2 lakh temples, and from that, temples received Rs 7 crore for
> their
> > maintenance, Muslim madrassahs and Haj subsidy were given Rs 59 crore,
> and
> > churches about Rs 13 crore. Very generous of the government. Because of
> > this, Knapp writes, “25 per cent of the two lakh temples or about 50,000
> > temples in Karnataka will be closed down for lack of resources.” And he
> > adds: “The only way the government can continue to do this is because
> people
> > have not stood up enough to stop it.”
> >
> > Knapp then refers to Kerala where, he says, “funds from the Guruvayur
> Temple
> > are diverted to other government projects denying improvement to 45 Hindu
> > temples”. Land belonging to the Ayyappa Temple apparently has been
> grabbed
> > and “church encroaches are occupying huge areas of forest land, running
> into
> > thousands of acres, near Sabarimala”. A charge is made that the communist
> > State government of Kerala wants to pass an Ordinance to disband the
> > Travancore & Cochin Autonomous Devaswom Boards (TCDBs) and take over
> their
> > limited independent authority of 1,800 Hindu temples.
> >
> > If what the author says is true, even the Maharashtra government wants to
> > take over some 4,50,000 temples in the State which would “supply a huge
> > amount of revenue to correct the State’s bankrupt conditions...” And to
> top
> > it all, Knapp says that in Orissa, the State government intends to sell
> over
> > 70,000 acres of endowment lands from the Jagannath Temple, the proceeds
> of
> > which would solve a huge financial crunch brought about by its own
> > mismanagement of temple assets.
> >
> > Says Knapp: “Why such occurrences are so often not known is that the
> Indian
> > media, especially the English television and press, are often anti-Hindu
> in
> > their approach, and thus not inclined to give much coverage, and
> certainly
> > no sympathy, for anything that may affect the Hindu community. Therefore,
> > such government actions that play against the Hindu community go on
> without
> > much or any attention attracted to them.” Knapp obviously is on record.
> If
> > the facts produced by him are incorrect, it is up to the government to
> say
> > so. It is quite possible that some individuals might have set up temples
> to
> > deal with lucrative earnings. But that, surely, is none of the
> government’s
> > business? Instead of taking over all earnings, the government surely can
> > appoint local committees to look into temple affairs so that the amount
> > discovered is fairly used for the public good?
> >
> > Says Knapp: “Nowhere in the free, democratic world are the religious
> > institutions managed, maligned and controlled by the government, thus
> > denying the religious freedom of the people of the country. But it is
> > happening in India. Government officials have taken control of Hindu
> temples
> > because they smell money in them, they recognize the indifference of
> Hindus,
> > they are aware of the unlimited patience and tolerance of Hindus, they
> also
> > know that it is not in the blood of Hindus to go to the streets to
> > demonstrate, destroy property, threaten, loot, harm and kill... Many
> Hindus
> > are sitting and watching the demise of their culture. They need to
> express
> > their views loud and clear...”
> >
> > Knapp obviously does not know that should they do so, they would be
> damned
> > as communalists. But it is time someone asked the government to lay down
> all
> > the facts on the table so that the public would know what is happening
> > behind its back. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not secularism. And temples
> > are not for looting, under any name. One thought that Mahmud of Ghazni
> has
> > long been dead.
> >
> > MV Kamath
> > _______________________________________________
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> > assam at assamnet.org
> > http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>
>
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