Temple Revenues diverted
By Anjali Patel,patel111@yahoo.com,October 29,2003, Courtesy : www.indiacause.com)
Highlights
• 70% (Rs. 50.00 Crores) of Hindu Temples money is diverted for Muslim Madarasas and Haj by Indian Government.
• 5,000 Temples in Karnataka to be closed down due to lack of funding and maintenance.
• During Kumbh Mela in Nasik each Hindu was forced to pay Rs.25 to Rs.50 for a dip in the holy water. Congress, BJP and Shiv Sena said nothing about this (while giving money to Muslims and Christians).
• Today, if a Hindu or Sikh wishes to visit holy places in Kailash Mansarovar or Gurudwara in Pakistan, leave alone subsidiary, they are forced to shell out large amount of money to visit their holy places (while Islam enjoys massive 70% share of Hindus hard earned money to visit Haj in Saudi Arabia)
Details - The Congress Government of Karnataka has made another breakthrough in appeasing the Minority Communities in Karnataka. The Government passed a bill in the assembly that all private owned temples and the temple comprising of trustees in Karnataka must pay minimum tax to the Government every year. Failing to which, the authorized people of the temple would be liable and or would be prosecuted. This law is being passed in order to generate income for the development of Madarasas and provide subsidies to Haj Pilgrims in Karnataka.
Earlier to this the Government was collecting the entire income from all the Government Controlled temples in the state.
Statement of Temple Collections & Utilization 1997-2002. (data received from the Revenue section of Tourism & Temples, Govt of Karnataka).
Figures in Crores.
|
Year
|
Temple Nos
|
Temple Revenue
|
Temple Expenses
|
Madrassa, Haj
|
% of Revenue
|
Church
|
Others
|
Others Description
|
|
1997
|
2,64,000
|
52.3
|
17.3
|
9.3
|
18
|
3.0
|
22.8
|
Rural,women development.
|
|
1998
|
2,67,073
|
58.3
|
16.5
|
14.3
|
25
|
5.0
|
22.6
|
Health Rural.
|
|
1999
|
2,67,000
|
67.3
|
15.0
|
27.0
|
41
|
8.0
|
17.3
|
N.A.
|
|
2000
|
2,62,038
|
69.9
|
13.7
|
35.0
|
50
|
8.0
|
13.2
|
Haj Victims
|
|
2001
|
2,54,038
|
71.6
|
11.5
|
45.0
|
63
|
10.0
|
5.1
|
N.A.
|
|
2002
|
2,51,012
|
72.0
|
10.0
|
50.0
|
69
|
10.0
|
2.0
|
N.A.
|
|
Total
|
|
391.4
|
84.0
|
180.6
|
20.7
|
44.0
|
83.0
|
|
|
$Mill
|
|
87.0
|
18.7
|
40.1
|
|
9.8
|
18.4
|
|
$ are in Million Dollars exchange rate Rs 45 to a dollar.
It looks like the Congress Government of Karnataka is more concerned about the Madarasas and the Haj Committee, but it has turned a blind eye at the fate of 2.5 lakh Hindu Temples in Karnataka, which is actually under their direct control. If the Government continues its neglect towards the maintenance and development of these temples for other few years, we will not be surprised to see that over 50,000 Temples will be forced to close down in next five years. Karnatka is the 4th State in India of having highest number of temples; out of which large number require immediate financial aid.
In regard to this, we made a visit to few ancient temples in Karnataka. We felt very said seeing the pathetic conditions of the poorly maintained temples by the Government. We had spoken to a few temples Uttaradhikaris and priest in Government owned temple. Each and everyone expressed their displeasure and at the attitude of the Government. They say that they are not receiving any financial aid for day-to-day maintenance of the temple. They even said that they were employed on salary basis, which they are not receiving regularly. Some priests told us that they have not received salaries for over 6 months period and they are surviving only on collections donated by the devotees by the in the “Aarti” plate.
In view of the coming Lok Sabha elections, the Government would like to appease their precious vote bank by even taxing the individual owned temples in Karnataka to generate more money for Madarasas development and Haj Subsidy. It is unfortunate that even the opposition party like the BJP, which has come to power at the center on the Hindutva platform, has remained quite in his matter. Today if a Hindu or Sikh wishes to visit our holy place in Kailash Mansarovar or the holy Gurudwara in Pakistan, leave alone subsidy, they are forced to shell out large amount of money to visit their holy shrines.
Few days back, during the Kumbh Mela in Nasik, each Hindu was forced to pay Rs.25/- to Rs.50/- to have a dip in the holy sangam. In Maharashtra, too there is a Congress Government and it is the same silent opposition BJP and Shiv Sena.
Is anybody seriously concerned about this? The Hindus and their temples have no source of income from anywhere. They are forced to generate all the finance in India itself. But it is not the same in the case of Muslim and Christians. The Muslims received aid from many Muslim countries in various forms and the Christians receive bountiful grants in the form of charities from their Christian Brothers in Vatican City, Europe, and America, Australia etc.
To further appease their precious vote bank what has the Governments in store for Hindus in the future? Tomorrow they may collect taxes Hindus, if Hindus want to survive in Hindustan.
