Sanatana Dharma was gravely wounded when people meant to safeguard temple wealth took it home; it will take devotees a long time to trust the management again
The 20-something low-ranking ruffian in Delhi’s Netaji Nagar colony where I grew up was called Kala, an apt name for the black deeds he did. One of his notorious pastimes was to steal money from a nearby Ram/Shiva temple.
Kala’s modus operandi was simple. He went to the small shrine with lots of glue on both palms. At the Hanuman enclosure, he would bow his head and bring down his palms on the coins scattered on a cemented bench.
Once he was sure the coins were glued to his palms, he would slowly raise his head, look at the Lord with seeming reverence, and shout Jai Bajrang Bali before calmly walking away with the stolen money.
Kala was never caught because no one wanted to take on a thug. Even those disgusted by his act didn’t complain, fearing the consequences.
What if people associated with a place of worship know in their hearts that they are where they are not because of devotion but due to proximity to a political authority?
A monumental sin
Kala’s image floated before my eyes when I learnt about the ungodly desecration at the Ram temple at Ayodhya by those who were supposed to be its custodians.
The crime committed at Ayodhya is a monumental sin because it involved brazen loot of the small and big donations which Hindus from across India and the world gave the temple out of sincere devotion.
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Irrespective of the politics which led to the construction of a grand Ram temple on the ruins of the Babri Masjid, the millions who went there to pray – my friends and relatives included – did so out of piety, not because they necessarily agreed with a Hindu-laced political agenda.
Almost everyone who went to the temple since its opening in January 2024 parted with a bit of cash or valuables or both out of reverence to the Lord.
None of them would have even remotely thought that their donations for the temple and corpus fund would be plundered by a group of men who claimed to be religious watchmen.
Breach of trust
I am not surprised the temple’s daily monetary collections have reportedly taken a huge hit.
It is immaterial whether the total money and jewellery swindled from the temple is worth Rs 80 lakhs or more. This is the figure being given out by the police. I believe – and so do many Hindus – that the gross amount must be more. There is a reason to think so.
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It is equally irrelevant whether those who committed the sacrilege were bank employees or drivers or clerks or a part of the Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
Rai’s resignation changes nothing
Champat Rai has resigned as the general secretary of the Trust, taking moral responsibility for the embezzlement. The Sangh Parivar is grossly off the mark if it thinks that his departure is the answer to what has happened as far as the politically-connected temple management is concerned.
Rai is a veteran leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He played a key role in the quasi-religious movement to transform the Babri Masjid into a Ram temple, a campaign which helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to eventually take the reins of power. He presumably remains with the VHP and RSS.
Rai, trusted by the powers that be, was the final word in all affairs related to the temple, including staff appointments and internal security. And one of the persons charged with stealing was his driver.
A surprising ‘assurance’
Another trustee who has resigned is Anil Mishra. He and his wife were the designated hosts during the 2024 consecration at Ayodhya.
“We assure everyone that no such unfortunate situation will ever arise in the future,” said a statement from the Trust, issued by its treasurer Govind Dev Giri, who incidentally has not quit.
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The comment is both surprising and revealing.
The claim that a similar theft won’t recur will be taken with huge doses of salt because the crime showed that the Trust never invested in a fool-proof system though the temple received hundreds of thousands of devotees.
Committed by ‘savours of Hindu religion’
It shocks one to even imagine that money which ordinary folks parted with out of religious devotion was merrily taken away by a bunch of men with no scruples but who claimed to be savours of Hindu religion.
And this is not the first time allegations of impropriety and corruption have been levelled in relation to the temple.
Besides the crime and politics involved, the most important question everyone is asking is: How could anyone have the guts to steal from any temple?
It is not the lack of a system that led to the loot. It is the complete lack of spirituality and belief in God which has resulted in this sin.
Thefts in temples are rare
There are millions of temples in this country (and abroad). An overwhelming majority of them are small (often located by the roadside), a large number are medium-sized while a small section is both huge and ancient.
If you take away organized thefts of heritage idols, thefts at temples are rare.
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The main reason is that those engaged in temple work understand the law of karma. A wrong is a wrong but stealing temple property is the worst in blasphemy. Most temples don’t have auditors or CCTV cameras but donations remain safe.
There is a well-known Tamil proverb: “Sivan sothu, kula nasam”. It means that stealing, embezzling or misusing money, land or resources dedicated to a (Shiva) temple or religious charity will bring ruin and misfortune upon the perpetrator’s entire family or lineage.
Once this is embedded in one’s thinking, no one will not dare to do any wrong, particularly in a shrine.
More of politics, less of devotion
But what if people associated with a place of religious worship know in their hearts that they are where they are not because of devotion but due to proximity to a political authority?
The Ram temple in Ayodhya came up as a result of a politico-religious movement closely entwined with a political goal.
This is precisely why there was so much glitz and propaganda around its 2024 consecration when temple consecrations are a routine affair, done once every 12 years with religious fervour and, most important, without ego.
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No Hindu can afford to visit all the ancient temples in the country. So, we request friends going to an important shrine to put money in the hundi. We pay them when they return.
We don’t insist on a receipt because we know the friend would have made the donation. We believe no one will tell a lie when it comes to temple affairs.
‘Anti-social, irreligious elements’ in temple service
But the men who stole from the Ram temple in Ayodhya clearly had no fear of God. Would you even call them religious?
This is why another part of the Ram Janmbhoomi Trust statement is funny, to say the least.
“We will not let anti-social, irreligious and selfish elements succeed in their attempts to defame Sanatan Dharma,” it said.
This is truly bizarre. The statement refers to “anti-social, irreligious and selfish elements” as if the theft of money and valuables was committed by people far removed from the Ayodhya temple.
Loss of people’s trust
Sanatan Dharma was gravely wounded when people whose mission it was to safeguard temple wealth took it home for personal enrichment. Since investigations have only begun now, what is the guarantee that only Rs 80 lakhs have been stolen? Will we ever know the full truth?
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It will take a very, very long time for the temple management to win the trust of the mass of devotees.
The unscrupulous in Ayodhya proved to be no different from Netaji Nagar’s Kala – except in the quantum of the stolen booty.
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