For many decades in the 16th century, Ponda was a safe haven for Hindus who were fleeing the persecution of the Portuguese inquisition in Goa. Today, the area is not only home to more than half a dozen prominent temples, all located within a close distance of each other, but also the Sanatan Sanstha, an extremist Hindu outfit that has been linked with a number of high profile assassinations and a smattering of bomb blasts. Home to one of the fastest growing cities in the state, the district of Ponda is also the saffron heartland of Goa.



As I walk into the Ramnathi Temple, a few hundred metres down the road from the Sanstha's headquarters in the sleepy little hamlet of Ramnathi, I am approached by a man wearing a bright yellow kurta and a large tilak on his forehead.

"Media?" he asks, half-frowning, half-smiling.

"Yes," I reply, informing him that I am with BuzzFeed.

Several more people appear around us and brows furrow as they attempt to figure out who or what a BuzzFeed is.

Eventually, they introduce themselves as the media liaison team and collectively lead me through the corridors of the temple's rather large and spacious accommodation and administration building. The feeling of being herded is unshakeable.

I am here to attend the Akhil Bharat Hindu Adiveshan, a conference hosted by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, with the stated aim of charting a path towards turning India into a Hindu nation by 2023.