In the wake of controversy over Andhra Pradesh Government taking over the control of Tirumala Temple, the Jijnasa and the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha have jointly organised a seminar on Saturday to address and discuss the urgent issue of freeing Hindu temples from Government control.

The keynote address at the seminar ‘Hindu Temples and Government Control’ was delivered by Subramanian Swamy. The seminar also discussed several other issues relating to Hindu religious temples.

Subramanian Swamy’s address was focussed on questions like why should a ‘secular’ government control any religious institution, and why should it control only Hindu places of worship and not those of other non-Hindu denominations?

Jijnasa and HDAS – 6th Sept – Hindu Temples and Government Control



These are the highlights of what Subramanian Swamy said:

• Today, Hindu religion is in need of renaissance. For that, we will need temples, as they are also centres of learning.

• Under Article 25 and Article 26 of the Constitution, its fundamental right of the people to practise their religion according to free will, subject to restrictions arising from morality, public order or public health. Any religious practise which violates these three can be subject to Government control.

• So far, the Government has been going into the question of how to take over the control of temple in the name of financial management. They must make out a case that there is financial mismanagement. Generally, they don’t do and our priests are too timid to fight the Government. Hence, today, 4.5 lakh temples are in control of the Government in India. They have been looted, deprived of their land and subjected to great misery.

• In one such case, I argued in the court that under Article 31 of the Constitution the Government can take over any property, which Supreme Court in other judgement interpreted to mean including temples, only for a limited period. I defined to the court that it should be only three years. The judgement in that case doesn’t specify period, but does say limited period.

• The Tirupati temple has been taken over since 1933, 81 years have passed by. Today, if I go to the Supreme Court with a petition, it will allow the temple to be given back to the trustees, but who are the trustees I don’t know. That’s been a matter of dispute. I think the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha should be entrusted with all the temples and then they should distribute those temples to their rightful owners, or a Dharmik Parishad should be created by the Government. That is being considered today.

• Therefore, for all the temples, once the financial mismanagement or the administrative flaws discovered in a well investigated report before it was taken over is cured. And, it should be done within 3 years. Then automatically the temple should be given back to its rightful owner. The Government can’t do more than that. It can’t take over a temple.

• The Government is planning to make Tirumala temple a golden temple by covering it with gold. I met the concerned Government official and told him that changing the character of the temple is not within your power. I went to the court and said that the government is now changing the shape of the temple and that is interfering in religious affairs of the Hindus. The court asked me who can then rectify a situation if there is a malfunction in the religious functions. I said the Agama Shastris in Tirupati or you call all the big saints of the country and ask them, but not the Government. And that was accepted.

• The temples are the focus and fulcrum of Hindu renaissance. For the liberation of mind, liberation of temples is important. It’s time now to bring all temples into one national policy. For India to become a spiritual guru, temple renaissance is important.

Swamy Dayananda Saraswati of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, along with other leading Acharyas from various Hindu Mathas shared the stage with Subramanian Swamy.

Source: Niti Central