List of Temples Demolished and replaced by Mosques

Courtesy Virat Hindustan Sangam founded by Shri. Subramanian Swami
http://vhsindia.org/list-of-mosques-in-various-states-which-were-built-after-demolishing-hindu-temples/

Above provides State-wise list.

Virat Hindustan Sangam

A-77 Nizamuddin East, New Delhi-110013

Email: contact@vhsindia.org

Web: Virat Hindustan Sangam

Hindu Reformers Ushered In Societal Reforms Without Creating Bad Blood.

On the 152 birth anniversary of a south Indian social reformer Ayyankaly[क], PM Narendra Modi gave out a secret behind uninterrupted continuation of Sanskriti which has stood firm for several thousands of years in a world that has witnessed death of rest of the civilizations. Among many, one of the reasons behind continuity of the Sanskriti, he said, was a continued flow of Hindu reformers throughout all the ages. It is not to say that in Hinduism the reformers were welcomed with open arms by the high and mighty of the society or that they did not face resistance. They did face opposition but unlike other societies of the world, Hinduism reacted differently. Here, both sides, the society’s high and mighty and the rebels, both, behaved in ways far different than the normal reaction we are accustomed to see elsewhere in the world.

Mahatama Ayyankaly faught against the discrimination his society was subjected to owing to their ‘lower’ caste status. He rebelled against demeaning traditions and life that denied self-esteem.

The oppressed are easy prey to the sense of victimhood and revenge. But in India, they resisted the easy option and even in asking for justice, even in fighting, they remained clear in their objective that the fight was not with people but with the ideas that cause injustice. Therefore even in the thick of the fight they did not make the higher castes as their enemies. This is unique. They did not seek revenge in tit-for-tat style which is common knee-jerk reaction. They sought justice based on Hinduism’s idea of seeing God in every individual. Remember, Mahatma Gandhi called lower castes as ‘Hari-Jan’ meaning, ‘Godly people’ or ‘People of God’. Reformer saint-poet Narsinh Mehta, too called them similarly using different word ‘Vaishnav-Jan’.

The oppressor does not like to give up authority. He will harbor ill-will towards the beneficiaries of reforms. He would never like to be penalized for generations for the discrimination his ancestors may or may not have committed towards ‘oppressed’. However in India, the ‘oppressor’ higher caste Hindus have agreed to a constitution that is heavily against them. It prevents them from jobs and school admissions even if they are pre-eminently qualified. Higher caste Hindus, do not see this as ‘punishment’ but as a necessary sacrifice for betterment of deprived ‘lower-caste’, thus not breeding any jealousy or animosity towards beneficiaries of the positive-discrimination.

Hindus are blessed by three factors. One, arrival of bold reformers within the faith at regular intervals, two, their quality and third, their technic. The ‘Oppressor’ and ‘oppressed’ were inspired by the Hindu ideal of seeking own evolution into higher-self. Therefore, the seekers of justice came from both the divide. The reformers sprang not only from ‘oppressed’ but also from the ‘oppressor’ class. They came from ‘higher castes’ as well as from ‘lower’ castes. In their fight, they never made enemies in the opposite camp. Even in their fiercest resistance, Hindu reformers fought in a responsible manner; they never incited the ‘oppressed’ to seek blood. And under severest criticism, Hindu Shankaracharyas and other Acharyas did not pass any death sentences, fatwas or imprisonments for Hindu equivalents of Copernicuses, and Ibn Sinas. Hindu equivalents of ‘Protestants’, ‘Shias’, ‘Esmailies’ and ‘bourgeois’ and ‘proletariats’ never did face massacre, guillotine, burning at stake, or confiscation of properties.

Reformers, social and religious, in the territories west of India, branded those who opposed them, variously as heretics, heathens, idolaters, murtadad, kafir, reactionary, bourgeois etc. Fear of holding contrarian opinion meant severe punishments. That fear prevented many would be reformers from reforming their societies. As freedom of thought is a cornerstone of Hinduism, reformers could continuously help shape Hindu societies whenever need arose. Hindus have realized since ancient times that the change is the only constant in the universe. Everything is in constant state of change. Change is a universal law. Without reforms, the society suffers agonies of traditions and rituals that are irrelevant to the current era. Every society need reformers. However, they are hard to come by under the threats of being branded heretic or apostate. Reformers need to be bold. In Hinduism, they have empowered oppressed, have restored their place in the society without ever making them rivals and enemies. And in long Hindu history, they are never sought to be obliterated, white-washed, purged or their work impugned.

---

[क] On 8 Sept, 2014.  http://www.narendramodi.in/pm-attends-152nd-birth-anniversary-celebrations-of-mahatma-ayyankali-at-delhi/

 

Emperor, What Gift Did He Accept? Not Bhagavad Gita? (A parody, an imaginary story)

Indian Prime Minister was visiting an important country. This time around he made sure that the leaders of opposition parties in India should not be offended by improper choice of gift. He knew that he had made a blunder last time when he had gone ahead on his own impulse and thoughtlessly gifted the holy book of Hindus, the Bhagavad Gita to the Emperor of Japan in early September 2014.  Some opposition leaders thought that it was a partisan attempt at glorifying Hinduism, ‘He should not forget that India has a large population of Muslims and Christians and therefore he should not forget other holy books, the holy Koran and the holy Bible’. Therefore, to please everyone, this time around the PM takes all the three holy books on this trip.

Three books were individually gift wrapped, one in golden, and other in silver and third in an orange wrapping paper. During his meeting with the Monarch, Indian PM rises to give him those gift that he had thoughtfully carried with him from India. The Monarch who was hosting the welcome for him, also rose to receive the gift, however, when he saw three big parcels, he paused and said, ‘Mr. PM, this is too much of gifts, I will take only one of them, please tell me what is in each parcel and I will choose what appeals me most’.

 

 

It is not polite to argue with host emperor and as the Indian PM was knowledgeable, he was sure that he would convince the emperor to accept all three. PM started with the most expensive looking Golden parcel. He said, this is a holy book of the largest number of people in the world. Then he pointed at silver parcel and said that this too is a holy book and is also followed by a very large number of people, ranking second in the number of its followers in the world and he said this orange parcel too is considered holy by a very large number of people, ranking third number in the world.

The emperor looked puzzled, he said, why do you talk about the world? Are you not an Indian PM? I would prefer that book which has Indian flavor, is either written in India or written by someone who is native of India or the one which has maximum followers in India. Tell me which that is. The book in orange wrapper was the Bhagavad Gita and it met all the criteria, it was written in Kurukshetra (in India), it was authored by a person born in Mathura (in India) and it is followed by largest number of people in India. Although PM knew that the orange parcel fulfilled all the three critical criteria, he was worried, if he was to only give one holy book, opposition political leaders of India would be angry and tear him apart in TV debates and in parliament upon his return from trip. He cannot give up, he must convince the Emperor for all the three.

Indian PM, therefore persists, ‘your Highness, this orange parcel has the holy book of Hindus, the Bhagavad Gita, it fulfills your idea of a good gift with the flavor of India but rest of the books too have very large number of followers in India, albeit those books are neither written in India nor written by Indians. Emperor did not take even a moment to respond, he instantly told, I am sure, other two books are holy Koran and holy Bible. If so, please leave it to someone from Mecca, Jerusalem or Rome to gift those to me. It is their gift to the world and the Bhagavad Gita is India’s gift to the world.

Indian PM knew, the host was right but he had worries about the left ‘thinkers’ of India. Indian PM returned  with two books, still in the wrapping paper and as predicted, many Christian leaders, Muslim leaders and the left leaning socialists and communists were not happy. Surprisingly, some one was happy and said “thank you”.

Write-Up on the book as suggested by Some Well-Wishers to help promotion of this book among Temples

Write-Up on the Book: "Hindu Temple Management"

The book is a first-ever systematic presentation on the art of managing Hindu Temples,Maths and Ashrams. Temple Management calls for a unique approach, completely different as compared to what may be required to manage a commercial business, a property or even a charitable institution. A temple manager’s work is more complex than that of any other managers. It is not easy if he wants to run it in a way it should.

A temple manager is expected to be a superman; after all he is the manager of God’s house. He is visualized as a person who is as kind as a kind mother, friendly as a loving brother, strict as a tough father and knowledgeable as a brilliant teacher. He is further required to be a ruthless administrator and a strategist like a Chanakya. All of the above rolled in one! A tall order? Certainly yes. For the temple manager to fit the bill, this book helps provide ideas, milestones, flag posts, warnings and tools. It is expected to enable those temple managers who want to make a success of their temples for the good of the community along with the good of their own self.

Does a temple have any social responsibility? Spiritual responsibility? Any dharmic responsibility? Should it be accountable? What are pitfalls? How are a temple manager and staff to be remunerated? How to use technology and how to still be independent of it? What about the laws of the country? How can a temple engage a community and so also, how can community, in turn, engage with temple? These and many other issues are addressed in this book.

Hinduism by its very nature adapts to the needs of time. Therefore if we find that temples are lacking in some of their ideals today, it is not an insurmountable problem.  It can be overcome with some thoughtful corrections. It should be ensured that these corrections be 100% dharma-compliant and yet reflect modern day realities.

The first chapter gives ideas on how the management of a temple is not similar to managing a business, a property or even a charitable institute; it is much more than those.

The second chapter familiarizes a reader with ideas behind building temples, how are they financed since time immemorial and details of its structure. Also it lists what is expected and what is not expected from a temple. Thus it sets the agenda of what is to come in the next chapters

The third chapter is the longest. It gives overview of temple functions such as administration, maintenance, engagement with community-volunteering, managing pooja rituals etc. and then goes headlong in detailing all the administrative aspects that a temple manager should pay attention to.

Three important subjects are discussed in the fourth chapter; efficient maintenance of the premises, ways of engaging with community and interfaith protocols.

The fifth chapter deals with setting benchmarks for ideal pooja rituals, choosing appropriate stotras, inspirational songs, various pooja requisites and innovative ideas to achieve them.

The sixth chapter draws attention of temple managers towards laws and bylaws governing aspects of running a temple and emphasizes that they need to know local laws governing temples and the community the temples intend to serve. It provides a few legal definitions, allowed and disallowed temple-practices etc.

As end-notes, the book asks 55 teaser questions and provides their short answers that also serve as a quick revision of the book.

What this book does not provide is equally important to understand for the readers. This book does not aim to teach Religious Rituals, Sanskrit Language, Hinduism, Yoga, Meditation or Astrology. These subjects are avoided so as not to dilute message of this book which focuses on the management aspect of temples.

It is hoped that this book will go a long way in improving management of temples. It is recommended that every temple retain a copy. If the temple owners/managers/trustees were to program a reading of this book at least once for the benefit of their staff, it would prepare ground for setting a minimum common denominator for the temples in the art of good-temple-management.

The book is hard-bound and has 164 pages (155+ix). It is published by Global Vision Publishing House, New Delhi. Your local book-store can get it for you or can be purchased by contacting publisher: Global Vision Publishing House, F-4, Ist Floor, 'Hari Sadan', 20, Ansari Road, Daryaganj (Near Delhi Book Store), Delhi : 110002 India. Phone 011-23261581, 23276291, 64694271, 43575199, 43037885  Mob. 9810644769 E-mail nsingh_2004@vsnl.net          gv.ph@hotmail.com n.singh@globalvisionpub.com     info@globalvisionpub.com Website  www.globalvisionpub.com

 Author, Mr. Nilesh M Shukla, has also written another path-breaking book: “Bhagavad Gita and Hinduism, What Everyone Should Know”

Thanking readers and answering to their most common query

I knew that the topic is at the heart of many but honestly, I was not sure if it can generate so much enthusiasm in such a short time. Thank you all for your appreciation and encouragement. Though there are many other queries that need to be replied to, let me answer the most common query among all: --Yes, besides availability online from the publishers, the book can be had from any good book store in your city, albeit, they will take 7-10 days to get the copy once you have confirmed the order. I believe, book stores have some  understanding with the publisher that they charge only the cover price and do not charge postage-transportation etc to the end-user. I also believe, in many cities, they even deliver at home without any additional cost, depending upon the resources the stores have. You need to go to the store with following information: 1) Name of book (Hindu Temple Management), 2) Name of the author (Nilesh Madhusudan Shukla), 3) Name of the publisher.(Global Vision Publishing House, Delhi),  4) Though not essential it can help if you also have the ISBN Number assigned to this book (ISBN: 978-81-8220-593-2).

I considered this query important and have prioritized in answering because discussions on the subject without having read the actual book may not be able to add value to the discussions. When discussion stems after having actually read the book will help save a lot of repetition and irrelevant comments. 

Please do share your experience if above information helped.

Publisher's Contact Details:

Address
F-4, Ist Floor, 'Hari Sadan', 20, Ansari Road, Daryaganj (Near Delhi Book Store), Delhi :- 110002
Phone
011-23261581, 23276291, 64694271, 43575199
Mob.
9810644769
E-mail
nsingh_2004@vsnl.net n.singh@globalvisionpub.com gv.ph@hotmail.com

Table of Contents

Reader would find following topics and more in the book "Hindu Temple Management"

Preface  (v)

1.  Introduction  1

Objectives  2

Difference between Temple Management and Business Management  4

Temple Management and Managing a Property  5

2.  Temples Architecture  9

Ancient Codes of Temple Creation  11

Antiquity of Temples  12

Temple Structure  14

Structural Parts of Temples  16

Other Parts of Temple  23

Styles of Temple Architecture  30

Temple Design and Vastu-Shastra (Architecture)  36

Function of Temples  37

3.  Temple Functions and Activities  41

Administration  42

Vision Document  43

Setting up Long Term Objectives  45

Making Annual Plans  45

Human Resource Recruitment and Training  52

Code of Conduct for Temple Officials and Trustees  56

Knowledge Upgrade, Sanskrutik Way  62

Priests and Priesthood  63

New Generation Priests and Temple Managers   65

Purchase, Sales and Inventory  67

Book-Keeping  68

Stationery, Web-Site and other Tools of Communication  69

Computer Software, Accounting Packages, ERP Solutions and ISO  71

Membership of Other Hindu Organizations  74

Vigilance  74

Political Scenario  78

Security and Safety  80

What is the Best use of Extra Funds Generated by Temples?  87

Technology  88

Environmental Considerations  89

Signboards  90

Media and PR and Feedback from Community  91

Interfaith Protocols  93

Curtsies Hindus and Hindu Temples Should Extend to Christians  93

Curtsies Hindus and Hindu Temples Should Extend to Muslims  94

4.  Maintenance and Temple Upkeep  97

House Keeping or Cleanliness Management  97

Electro-Mechanical Maintenance  100

Architectural/Civil Contractor Maintenance  101

Community and Temple both Engaging Each Other  101

Temple-Community Engagement Demonstrated by the City of Kaashi  105

Temple Engages Community  107

Interfaith Dialogues and Meetings  112

Tolerate or Respect? Other Religions  113

Community Engages Temple  114

5.  Managing Puja Rituals  117

Benchmark Ideal Puja Ritual and Ways of Managing  118

6.  Laws and Bylaws of the State  127

Conclusion  131

  Endnotes as Q and A  133

  Bibliography  149

  Index  155

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