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RSS chief Bhagwat on Vijayadashami: 'Hand over Hindu temples to devotees'

Addressing his annual Vijay Dashami speech, Bhagwat said, "It is also necessary and only reasonable that the operating rights of Hindu temples be handed over to the Hindu devotees and the wealth of the Hindu temples is utilised for the worship of the deities and the welfare of the Hindu community only."

RSS chief Bhagwat on Vijayadashami Hand over Hindu temples to devotees
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Nagpur, First Published Oct 15, 2021, 10:09 AM IST

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Friday called for handing over control of temples to devotees.

Addressing his annual Vijay Dashami speech, Bhagwat said, "It is also necessary and only reasonable that the operating rights of Hindu temples be handed over to the Hindu devotees and the wealth of the Hindu temples is utilised for the worship of the deities and the welfare of the Hindu community only."

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"It is also necessary to devise a scheme to once again make temples the epicentre of our social-cultural life while ensuring appropriate management and operation of the temples based on the strength of the Hindu society," he added.

The RSS chief's remarks echo a growing demand from different sections of the society for temples to be liberated from government control.

Isha Yoga founder Sadhguru, who has often been quoted as saying that temples in the country are being run as a business, has been spearheading one such campaign.

Flagging off his concern, RSS chief Bhagwat on Friday said that the injustices "such as the exclusive appropriation of Hindu religious sites for decades and centuries, handing over of the operations to the non-devotees/irreligious, unethical heretics despite the state being ‘secular’ must be expunged."

The RSS chief's remarks come just days after the Tamil Nadu government launched a scheme to melt unutilised jewellery in the possession of the temples in the state into 24-carat gold bars.

Initially, the jewellery lying unutilised at the three temples of Sri Karumariamman temple in Tiruverkadu, Sri Mariamman temple at Irukkankudi and Sri Mariamman temple in Samayapuram will be melted into gold bars and be deposited in public sector banks.

The government says that funds generated from this process would be utilised for the development of the temples under the State Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department.

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