Daily News and Analysis
dnaEdit: In the name of god
Friday, 5 June 2015 - 6:50am IST | Agency: dna | From the print edition
Somnath temple authorities, by allowing only Hindus unrestricted access to the place of worship, are practising discrimination and doing a disservice to society
The restrictions imposed on the entry of non-Hindus in the famous Somnath Temple in Gujarat by its trustees, citing security reasons and tradition, are anachronistic, to say the least. It can be seen as a violation of the cardinal tenet of Hinduism that god is universal, and various faiths/religions are the many ways to reach the supreme power. Unlike many other codified religions, Hinduism, regarded as a way of life, has defied the constraints imposed by a monolithic faith. It has evolved over millennia to accommodate and celebrate diverse, and often conflicting, philosophies. However, many of its devout followers have erected invisible walls of caste, religion and gender to restrict access of certain sections of the society to places of worship. These walls have only grown stronger — despite the many social movements that strove to free the religion from its evil and regressive practices — challenging the core of humanism at every step in life. In many parts of India, Dalits are still forbidden to enter the temple premises, let alone step into the sanctum sanctorum. Even in this day and age, antiquated beliefs ensure that temples are off-limits for menstruating women. It is still a rare sight to see a female priest officiating in a ceremony.
To blame Hinduism alone would be unfair as Islam, too, has its share of controversial practices — one of which forbids women from offering prayers in a mosque. Christianity suffers from ideologies and dogma that have blocked the light of Reason. After a long history of struggle the Church of England recently decided to ordain women priests. In an encouraging departure from medieval beliefs, the Church is now confronted with questions whether ‘he’ is still appropriate for god, when ‘she’ is more inclusive.
To come back to the Somnath temple issue, its trustee secretary PK Lahiri’s decision to put up the notice that states “Non-Hindus will have to obtain permission from General Manager’s Office (of the temple) to enter the sacred pilgrim-place” is guided by local sentiment and bolstered by reasons of tradition and security. To address the security aspect, the board needs to put in place an effective system through which every individual, regardless of his/her faith, will have to pass before entering the temple premises. But, the excuse of tradition that encourages and practises exclusion, should be done away with. It is discrimination in the name of god that runs counter to the spirit of a syncretic culture and the equality of all religions.
It is unfortunate that temples that were once the cradle of performing arts, the seat of education and the venue of informed, liberated and rational discourses have become flashpoints of communalism, threatening to rip apart the social fabric woven over centuries of peaceful co-existence of different faiths. Today, most places of worship mint money, cashing in on the faith of their gullible devotees, but seldom give anything back to the society. The thousands of crores of rupees accumulated every year are never subject to scrutiny as governments are scared of hurting religious sentiments. This lack of accountability has allowed an opaque system to thrive where only a handful of people control huge reserves of wealth, ostensibly on behalf of the deity. Yet, these issues are seldom highlighted.
Temples, mosques and churches exist in a society that has to evolve with the times. If customs and rituals continue to segregate humanity in the name of tradition, they have no place in the 21st century. It is time we stopped playing the religious card.