Mangalore: A press meet was called by the regional chapter of Hindu Jana Jagriti Samithi (popular awareness committee) at the local Woodlands Hotel at noon today to discuss the issue of demolishing Hindu temples by a nasty administration that seeks only destruction (and not construction) of religious temples (as in Kashmir) and to inform people through the media persons as to when and why temples were constructed in cities like Mangalore.
The speakers at the meet pointed out that only when temples were constructed in a central place by a community in the olden days that its members formed a colony of houses around such temples and built schools / markets and other utility centres to carry on the life of citizens. Historians like Arnold Toynbee (UK) appreciated this basic finding of a civilization built in India. Muslims and Christians followed suit by having their Churches / seminaries and Mosque / Dargahs in separate areas convenient to them. The roads sprung up later to connect such religious places in somewhat closer and narrower surroundings, even in certain Kingdoms of history.
To come to the point in present, the Supreme Court has not interfered in the working and building of such shrines. It has given some interim decisions to vacate some Hindu temples if they impeded the main roads or for constructing national highways in a populous India, but no final decision yet in this matter (has come out). Only those opportunities for constructions made to secure some families, have been asked to vacate the transgression, if the constructions are made on or after 07-12-2009 in a way standing as hurdles in the way of development works by the Govt (state or Union). All earlier pertaining cases have to be decided upon as and when the case arises, the Supreme Court has ruled, the speakers informed. Only Karnataka, they added, had assured the Court that it would vacate encroachment buildings by 31-12-2010, not other states.
The pro-Hindu (BJP) govt had of its own made a commitment to the Supreme Court, which was not desirable, the speakers argued. The Court has no part in it. So, 43 shrines in Bijapur, 50 in Chikkaballapur and 34 in Bagalkot were decimated by the ruling govt. There were several ancient temples among them. One Babri mosque destruction raised huge outbursts and hundreds of shrines in Kashmir, Jammu and Pakistan (of Hindus) were destroyed in 1993. The local govt follows this path, when people remonstrate. The govt shows no mercy.
The Karnika Hanumantha temple near lower Carstreet in a lane, was built 2000 years ago, when there were no highways and state roads, but human colonics existed. Today the district administration demands that it be re located. How? Where? By whom?
There is no objection to bring old temples on the authorized list. How can they be vacated? The increasing traffic could be re-routed around such temples and each ancient temples should be taken separately as a case for renovation and re-location to facilitate vehicles movements around them on lanes. A meeting has been called on 23-12-2010 at 10.30 am at the Srinivas Kalyana Mantapa, on Vithoba Temple Road, to decide upon the burning issues and meet the DC by trustees concerned, said the organizers. Mohan Gowda, Sri Rama Bhat, Ramesh Kukkandooru and Anant Kamath of Mangalore Taluk temples and H.J Samithi members of Mangalore were present at the press meet.