Neither the devotees nor the temple committees have asked for reopening of temples in Kerala. This is considering the fact that containing spread of Covid-19 is of paramount importance to most Keralite Hindus. The move by the Kerala Government to reopen temples under its control also comes at a time when the disease is showing evidence of community spread in the state.
Those who are trying to usurp our traditions and beliefs and covertly convert us to either communism or Abrahamic religions, or both, are suspiciously intent on reopening our temples despite medical experts advising against such a move. Mosques and churches were also permitted to reopen, but most have shied away from doing so.
The current move by the govt is just a tactic to ensure salaries and incentives to the elite in the government-controlled Devaswom boards under whom major temple administration falls, and to make up for revenue shortfalls elsewhere. The Indian Medical Association had strictly warned against this move by the Kerala govt but the advise fell on deaf ears. This raises further suspicion on the part of devotees.
Some are seeing this as an attempt to malign Hindus, to create an equivalence with the way Islamists had become super-spreaders of Covid-19 after the Tablighi Jamaat event in Delhi. Thousands of Tablighis had carried the disease to different parts of Bharat and the sect leader Saad is still absconding.Â
The All Kerala Thanthri Samajam has come out against the opening of temples under the current circumstances. Hindu organisations including the VHP, Hindu Aikya Vedi and the local Temple Samrakshana Samithis have also opposed this move. No prominent Hindu leaders were consulted or invited by the govt in this regard during a meeting which took place few days back. Reports suggest that most temples are of the same view. No temples owned by Hindu private individuals or trusts will reopen.Â
The agenda of the govt would have been trustworthy, had they in the past helped small and independent temples financially using donations from bigger temples like Guruvayur and Sabarimala. This has not been the case. In fact, the communist rulers have used temple funds to finance their own corrupt programs. The CM flood fund misuse by cadre is just the latest example, which is under probe. Although some have been jailed in this connection, the total amount has not been recovered yet and the real perpetrators behind the local leaders arrested continue to evade authorities.
Meanwhile, the Guruvayur temple reopened last Tuesday with devotees using the virtual queue system. As expected, attendance was thin. After cases spiked in Thrissur district and some areas near the temple were declared as containment zones, the Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran was forced to again ban entry of devotees from Saturday.Â
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