CLEANING UP HINDU TEMPLES

A striking feature of all Sikh Shrines, is their  remarkable cleanliness and   the  amazing tranquility. Strains of mellifluous Kirtan in the background  is an uplifting experience as a seeker or a pilgrim walks through the complex.  The  devout keep the precincts absolutely clean ,  where one  find no instance of  beggary.  The extraordinary   concept of Langar  in Sikhism  demonstrates cardinal principles of commensality and equality.  It is indeed a lesson in humility to pay obeisance at all Sikh Shrines particularly  the Golden Temple.

Now let us  compare the elegant and rarefied atmosphere prevalent at   Sikh Shrines  with the normally  unkempt and derelict Hindu temples .  The   Endowment Boards should be  provided  with  adequate corpus of  funds to keep the premises clean  so that  the seeker is attracted to visit the places of worship.  Who are the people  who  invariably   visit these  places of worship?  A pilgrim,  a tourist , a  seeker, an individual out of habit or compulsion  which has been ingrained and cultivated  since his/her  childhood in their minds  , those in their Vanaprastha Ashram, humans seeking various  boons from the Lord   and in  particular those encountering some  severe physical or mental misadventure.  They all seek refuge at the feet of  the Lord and surrender their misfortune  at the cosmic Divine form desperately seeking redemption.

It is suggested that  cash rich Hindu Temples and boards like Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams ,  temples  in Travancore area . Puri Jagannath , Kedarnath , Badrinath  and  Vaishno Devi for instance   should form a joint trust say  in collaboration with NGO’s and corporates  (Birlas, Adanis , Ambanis to name some) and initiate a project to cross subsidize the derelict temples of India,pay  reasonably decent salaries to  the  priests and other volunteers working at these places of worship. 

They can also initiate projects such as set up Temples of Knowledge and  Vedic Universities, and  impart training in Agama Shastra (the term literally implies a  tradition or “that which has come down”, and the Agama texts describe cosmology, epistemology, philosophical doctrines, precepts on meditation and practices, the  four kinds of yoga, mantras, temple construction, deity worship and ways to attain sixfold desires).

 Apart from propagating Sanatana  Dharma , the temples can  collaborate with  the central and state governments  with a messianic zeal  to  clean up various ghats  which are located  at  holy rivers such as  Ganges and Yamuna.   The template should be to clean the environs to attract the devout and tourists.  The exercise will eventually have a salutary effect in form certain  positive externalities.   The venture can be  a money spinner but also simultaneously  provide a  clean  environment.   This  inner  renaissance and reformation of the structured   “Hindu” religion is perhaps  long overdue.