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#ReclaimTemples will lead to Hindu Muslim unity and peace

For centuries, India has been a land of diverse religions and cultures, including Hinduism and Islam. However, religious conflicts and disputes have often hindered peaceful coexistence between communities. One such issue that has been a point of contention between Hindus and Muslims in India is the reclaiming of ancient temples that have been under Islamic occupation for centuries. Here, we will explore how the reclaiming of these temples can lead to Hindu-Muslim unity and peace.
 
The issue of temple reclamation is not a new one. Many ancient Hindu temples have been destroyed or converted into mosques during the Islamic invasions and subsequent Muslim rulers’ reign. The reclamation of these temples has been a longstanding demand of the Hindu community, with many of these temples being of great significance to Hindus.
 
The reclaiming of ancient temples is not just about restoring the sanctity of Hindu religious sites; it is also a matter of restoring the dignity of the Hindu community. The occupation of these temples has been a source of great pain and humiliation for the Hindus. The reclaiming of these temples is, therefore, an assertion of their identity and a demand for justice.
 
However, the reclaiming of ancient temples is not a call for revenge or retribution. Instead, it is an invitation for Muslims to recognize and respect the sentiments and beliefs of the Hindu community. The reclaiming of these temples is an opportunity for Hindus and Muslims to come together and celebrate their shared history and culture.
 
The reclaiming of ancient temples can also be a catalyst for promoting interfaith dialogue and understanding. The occupation of these temples has been a source of mistrust and suspicion between the two communities. By reclaiming these temples, Hindus are sending a message of goodwill and inclusiveness. It is an invitation to the Muslim community to recognize and respect the Hindu community’s sentiments and beliefs.
 
Furthermore, the reclaiming of ancient temples can have a positive impact on Hindu-Muslim relations. The reclaiming of these temples is not just a demand for justice and equality, but it is also a recognition of the shared heritage of India’s diverse communities.
 
The reclaiming of ancient temples can also be a means of promoting spiritual and cultural tourism leading to economic development. Many of these temples are of great historical and architectural significance. The restoration of these temples can attract devotees from all over the world and provide a boost to the local economy. The restoration of these temples can also provide employment opportunities to the local population, thereby promoting economic development.
 
However, the reclaiming of ancient temples is not without its challenges. The process of reclaiming these temples can be a long and tedious one. It involves legal battles and negotiations with the government and Muslim communities. The reclaiming of these temples also requires a great deal of financial resources and technical expertise. It is, therefore, important to approach the reclaiming of these temples with patience, perseverance, and a spirit of cooperation.
 
In conclusion, the reclaiming of ancient temples under Islamic occupation is not just a matter of restoring Hindu religious sites’ glory. It is a matter of restoring the dignity of the Hindu community, promoting interfaith dialogue and understanding, and promoting cultural tourism and economic development. The reclaiming of these temples can be an opportunity for Hindus and Muslims to come together and celebrate their shared history and culture, ultimately leading to Hindu-Muslim unity and peace.
 
#ReclaimTemples

Sufism and Indian History – A Factual Critique

Yeah Sufi is indeed the dervish who dances

Hidden hatred in his gyration and mystical trances,

He’s not always armed with merely a flute

He secretly loves swords and guns to shoot,

Sufi likes to paint the world dark gory red

Those who don’t convert better drop dead,

Feeble Hindus have been a target so damn easy

To propagate Islamic Jihad all sordid and sleazy,

Under garb of spirituality and awakening the soul

Power and proselytization was the actual goal,

Though we’ve relished Rumi’s poems for years

Never could see Kafirs’ rape blood and  tears,

The Chistis and Auliyas have had a darker side

Death and curse for the infidel who did not abide.

 

Sufism is the mystical school of Islam which is defined as ‘a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God’. The lexical roots of ‘Sufi’  are usually traced to –

suf = wool

safa’ = purity

Etymologically it may mean somebody wearing a woolen cap or having a pure heart. While the former seems more likely looking at our history, the latter is preferred by Islamic scholars today (for obvious reasons). The Sufi branch of Islam has enjoyed spectacularly good press in the west. Hailed as peaceful mystics who believe jihad is an internal spiritual quest, nothing violent or unpleasant. Sufism has attracted favorable attention and converts from all sorts of infidels around the world. 

Sufis are actually devout Muslims praying 5 times a day and following all basic tenets of orthodox Islam. In most Sufi schools,  including the Shadhiliyya order of North Africa; the Naqshbandi of Central Asia, the Persian Nimatullahis, Indian Chishtis, Turkish Helvetis, and Qadiris from several dozen countries, a prerequisite to partaking of the teachings is confession of the Islamic statement of faith, the shahadah. How can a religious school which claims only my god is the real god and rest are all false gods be eclectic or syncretic?

Shahadah
La illaha il’Allah,
Muhammad ar-Rasul’Allah
There is no god but Allah;
Muhammad is the Prophet of God

“Sufism is the bastard child born out of the intellectual rape of the Iranian literati by Islam.”

“The Sufis could not reform Islam or make it more humane. All they did is to conceal its ugliness and thus make it even more dangerous trap for the unwitting victims“ – Dr. Ali Sina

 

While most Indians perceive Sufism as a mystical, syncretic and re-conciliatory halfway house between Islam and Hinduism, the truth is a lot murkier. Though most take Sufis as the ‘good Islam’ (the Islam that prince Charles and David Cameroon adore ), that it is all about peace, tolerance and intoxicated mystical trances, some of the most dangerous violent masterminds have been either Sufis, or aided and eulogized by Sufis.

A close examination of the history of Islamic proselytization activities (Islamization) in India proves that Sufism, through its missionary activities complemented the conversion of Hindus to Islam. Sufism, on one hand supported the Muslim invaders and Sultans in their  political activities and reckless killings of the Hindus, and on the other hand, influenced the gullible Hindus through their drama of spiritualism and mysticism.

 

The greatest Sufi ideologue Ghazali exhorted: 

“One must go on jihad  at least once a year…one may use a catapult against them [non—Muslims] when they are in a fortress, even if among them are women and children. One may set fire to them and/or drown them…If a person of the Ahl al—Kitab [People of The Book — primarily Jews and Christians] is enslaved, his marriage is [automatically] revoked…One may cut down their trees…One must destroy their useless books. Jihadists may take as booty whatever they decide…they may steal as much food as they need.“

 About payment of Jizya by the infidels he wrote:

“The dhimmi is obliged not to mention Allah or His Apostle…Jews, Christians, and Majians must pay the jizya, on offering up the jizya, the dhimmi must hang his head while the official takes hold of his beard and hits [the dhimmi] on the protruberant bone beneath his ear [i.e. the mandible]. They are not permitted to ostentatiously display their wine or church bells…their houses may not be higher than the Muslim’s, no matter how low that is.  The dhimmi may not ride an elegant horse or mule; he may ride a donkey only if the saddle is of wood.  He may not walk on the good part of the road.  They [the dhimmis] have to wear [an identifying] patch [on their clothing], even women, and even in the [public] baths…[dhimmis] must hold their tongue….”

Hasan-Al-Banna the founder of Muslim brotherhood and even some Al Qaeda top honchos have been heavily influenced by Sufism.
Indian Sufis:

When the Turks establishedIslamic rule in India (1206), Sufism gained wide acceptance in Islamic societies. Following the trail of Muslim invaders, Sufis and Sufism poured into India. With them came the new missionary zeal to convert the infidels from darkness to light of Islam.The option of course for those Kafirs who did not convert, was always to die. Many other famous Sufis also revered bloodthirsty Aurangzeb, including the Punjab Sufi Sultan Bahu who wrote ‘Aurang-i-Shahi’ praising the emperor as a just ruler. Now Aurangzeb or Alamgir is notorious in history as the Mughal who tried to annihilate Hinduism completely, destroying temples and suppressing religious practices. Guru Tegh Bahadur and his two close companions Bhai Matti Das and Bhai Fateh Das were executed for refusing to convert to Islam. Aurangzeb’s tomb is in Khuldabad in Maharashtra within the courtyard of the shrine of the Sufi saint Shaikh Burham-u’d-din Gharib.

This association of the most fanatic and intolerant of Mughal emperors with Sufism will shock many who have been fed the belief that all Sufis were purveyors of a soft version of Islam. But the Naqshabandis had always stood for strict interpretation of sharia law. Khwaja Mohammad Baqi Billah Berang, whose tomb is in Delhi, introduced Naqshbandi order in India and due to common Turkic origins with the Mughal invaders, this Sufi order always remained steadfast in its political loyalty right from the invasions of Babar.

 

Moinuddin Chisti : He’s one of the most popular Sufi saints in India. Born in Sijistan in eastern Persia in C.E. 1141, he came to India with the army of  invading marauder Ghori in 1192  and selected Ajmer as his permanent abode since 1195. It is said that once when he went to perform the pilgrimage to the holy tomb of the Prophet Mohammed, one day from the inside of the pure and blessed tomb a cry came: ‘Send for Moinuddin’. When Moinuddin came to the door, he stood there and he saw that presence speak to him.“Mouinuddin, you are the essence of my faith, but must go to Hindustan. There is a place called Ajmer, to which one of my sons (descendants) went for a holy war, and now he has become a martyr, and the place has passed again into the hands of infidels. By the grace of your footsteps there, once more shall Islam be made manifest, and the Kafirs be punished by God’s wrath“.

The Khwaja had a burning desire to destroy the rule of the brave Rajput king, Prithiviraj Chauhan, so much so that he ascribed the victory of Mohammed Ghori in the battle of Tarain entirely to his own spiritual prowess and declared that “We have seized Pithaura (Prithviraj) alive and handed him over to the army of Islam “

Sculpted stones, apparently from a Hindu temple, are incorporated in the Buland Darwãza of Moin-ud-din’s shrine at Ajmer and his tomb is built over a series of cellars which may have formed part of an earlier temple. A tradition, first recorded in the ‘Anis al-Arwãh, suggests that the Sandal Khana is built on the site of Hindu temple. Four Islamic mystics namely Moinuddin (in Ajmer ), Qutubuddin (in Delhi ), Nizamuddin ( in Delhi ) and Fariduddin (in Pattan now in Pakistan ) accompanied the Islamic invaders in India . All of them were from the Chistiya order of Islamic Sufi mysticism.

 

Nizamuddin Auliya: (1238-1325) -Toeing the orthodox line, he condemned the Hindus to the fire of hell, saying: “The unbelievers at the time of death will experience punishment. At that moment, they will profess belief (Islam) but it will not be reckoned to them as belief because it will not be faith in the Unseen… the faith of (an) unbeliever at death remains unacceptable.” He asserted that “On the day of Resurrection when unbelievers will face punishment and affliction, they will embrace faith but faith will not benefit them, They will also go to Hell, despite the fact that they will go there as believers“.  In his khutbas (sermons), Nizamuddin Auliya condemned the infidels as wicked, saying, “He (Allah) has created Paradise and Hell for believers and the infidels in order to repay the wicked for what they have done”.

Auliya’s thought on Jihad against non-Muslims can be gleaned from his statement that Surah Fatihah, first chapter of the Quran, did not contain two of the ten cardinal articles of Islam, which were ‘‘warring with the unbelievers and observing the divine statutes…’’ He did not only believe in warring with the unbelievers or jihad, he came to India with his followers to engage in it. He participated in a holy war commanded by Nasiruddin Qibacha in Multan. When Qibacha’s army was in distress facing defeat, Auliya rushed to him and gave him a magical arrow instructing: ‘‘Shoot this arrow at the direction of the infidel army.’ …Qibacha did as he was told, and when daybreak came not one of the infidels was to be seen; they all had fled!’  When Qazi Mughisuddin inquired about the prospect of victory in the Jihad launched in South India under the command of Malik Kafur, the Auliya uttered in effusive confidence: ‘What is this victory? I am waiting for further victories.’ The Auliya used to accept large gifts sent by Sultan Alauddin from the spoils plundered in jihad expeditions and proudly displayed those at his khanqah (lodge). Auliya had also sent forth Shaykh Shah Jalal, the greatest Sufi saint of Bengal, with 360 disciples to take part in a holy war against King Gaur Govinda of Sylhet.

 

Amir Khusrau: He showed delights in describing the barbaric slaughter of Hindu captives by Muslim warriors. Describing Khizr Khan’s order to massacre 30,000 Hindus in the conquest of Chittor (Padmini Jauhar)  in 1303, he gloated: ‘Praise be to God! That he so ordered the massacre of all chiefs of Hind out of the pale of Islam, by his infidel smiting swords… in the name of this Khalifa of God, that heterodoxy has no rights (in India).’  He took poetic delight in describing Malik Kafur’s destruction of a famous Hindu temple in South India and the grisly slaughter of the Hindus and their priests therein. In describing the slaughter, he wrote, “The heads of Brahmans and idolaters danced from their necks and fell to the ground at their feet, and blood flowed in torrents.” In his bigoted delight at the miserable subjugation of Hindus and the barbarous triumph of Islam in India, he wrote: “The whole country, by means of the sword of our holy warriors, has become like a forest denuded of its thorns by fire? Islam is triumphant, idolatry is subdued. Had not the Law granted exemption from death by the payment of poll-tax, the very name of Hind, root and branch, would have been extinguished. “

Amir Khasrau described many instances of barbaric cruelty, often of catastrophic proportions, inflicted by Muslim conquerors upon the Hindus. But nowhere did he show any sign of grief or remorse, but only gloating delight. While describing those acts of barbarism, he invariably expressed gratitude to Allah, and glory to Muhammad, for enabling the Muslim warriors achieve those glorious feats.

 

Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi: The mission of Shaikh Sirhindi popularly known as Mujadid was to purify Islam from the influence of Akbar with a view to countering his policy of “Peace with all”. Unhappy with the regime of Emperor Akbar for withdrawal of Jizya tax imposed on the Hindus, Sirhindi made frantic effort to purge Islam of all extraneous influences. He viewed Hindu mystics like Guru Nanak and Sant Kabir despicable, as they did not follow Sharia. Sirhindi condemned the reign of Akbar for his ‘broadmindedness’ and policy of ‘peace with all’.

He strongly criticized freedom of worship granted to the Hindus.  Hate-Hindu syndrome was so deep in him that death of Akbar (1605) filled Shaikh Ahmad with hopes that the pristine purity of Islam would be implanted in India. With his strong contempt against Shias and the Hindus, Sirhind wrote several letters to the nobles in the court of Jahangir for guiding the emperor on the path of Shariat, and for removal of Kafirs (Shias and Hindus) from the administration. He was dead against any honourable status of Hindus in Islamic government. Sirhind wanted the religious freedom enjoyed by the Hindus during Akbar regime to be curbed. Enraged with his too much interference in administration, Jahangir imprisoned him in Gwalior but released him after one year. Despite this anti-Hindu tirade of Sirhindi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in 1919 eulogized the role of Mujaddid (Sirhind). He once wrote: “The honor of Islam lies in insulting kufr and kafirs. One who respects the kafirs dishonors the Muslims. The real purpose of levying jiziya on them is to humiliate them to such an extent that they may not be able to dress well and to live in grandeur. They should constantly remain terrified and trembling. It is intended to hold them under contempt and to uphold the honor and might of Islam.“

 

Shah Waliullah: This traitor who invited Ahmed Shah Abdali to invade India was a Sufi belonging to Naqshbandi order. Waliullah believed that he was sent by God to save and lead the Muslims of India. To revive Muslim power in India, Waliullah decided to deliver a death blow to the Marathas, Sikhs, and the Jats.  He wrote letters to Najib-ud-Daulah and Ahmad Shah Abdali, advising that Muslim property should not be looted by the army. In one letter, he warned Ahmad Shah Abdali to watch out for some Hindus in his service who appeared loyal to him but were actually insincere to Abdali’s cause. In his letters, he advised that Muslim soldiers could not fight against Muslim rulers as God would check their movement and prevent any action which could be harmful to Islam.

According to Shah Waliullah, the subcontinent was not the real homeland for the Muslims and that they were mere strangers. He introduced the idea among the Muslims of India that they should embrace Arab culture and language and that God would help them to get out of the subcontinent. Had it not been for this Islamic extremist born in india who invited non -Indians to attack India, the third battle of Panipat ( 14 Jan 1761) might not have taken place. Sad and ironical that this Jihadi fundamentalist ‘inspired’ orthodox Sunni  Deobandi school of Islam in India which has a high percentage of followers among Indian Muslims.

Waliullah's traitorous letter to Afghan King Abdali to invade India
Waliullah’s traitorous letter to Afghan King Abdali to invade India

 

Sufis in Kashmir:

 

Bulbul Shah and  Shah Mir:  Both Sufis treacherously sowed the seeds of Islam in Kashmir (the land of Rishi Kashyap) by fraudulently converting Prince Rinchain to Islam.There was competition and conflict between Buddhism and Hinduism in the court of King Rinchain.  Shah Mir convinced Rinchain that he could choose to convert to Hinduism, Buddhism or Islam. Shah Mir suggested to Rinchain that he could convert to the religion of the first person they encounter next morning. The next morning when they left the palace, the first person they met was Muslim Sufi Sayed Sharafuddin Bulbul Shah who was performing his morning prayers. Rinchain converted to Islam and adopted the Muslim name of Sultan Sadruddin.  Shah Mir pre-planned the morning meeting with Bulbul Shah to convert King Rinchan to Islam. 

 

Syed Hamdani: The first thing he did was to build his khanqah [lodge or ashram] on the site of  a small temple which was demolished. Hamdani was horrified by the un-Islamic practices of Kashmiri Muslims, and forbade this laxity and tried to revive orthodoxy. The reigning Sultan Qutbud-Din tried to adopt Islamic orthodoxy in his personal life, but “failed to propagate Islam in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of Amir Sayyid Ali Hamdani” . As a result, the Sufi saint left Kashmir because of his reluctance to live in a land dominated by the idolatrous culture, customs and creed. This is what Syed Hamdani sanctioned for Kashmiri Hindus:-

Hamdani

 

Amir Sayyid Muhammad Hamdani: The Sufi who came to Kashmir during the reign of Sikander and changed him to ‘Sikandar Butshikan’ (“Sikandar the Iconoclast”).Sikandar won the sobriquet of butshikan or idol-breaker, due to his actions related to the desecration and destruction of numerous temples, caityas, viharas, shrines, hermitages and other holy places of the Hindus and Buddhists. He banned dance, drama, music and iconography as aesthetic activities of the Hindus and Buddhists and declared them as heretical and un-Islamic. He forbade the Hindus to apply a tilak mark on their foreheads. He did not permit them to pray and worship, blow a conch shell or toll a bell. Eventually he went on burning temples and all Kashmiri texts to eliminate Shirk. Sikandar stopped Hindus and Buddhists from cremating their dead. Jizya (poll-tax) equal to 4 tolas of silver was imposed on the Hindus. Writes  A.K. Mujumdar,“These Sufi Muslim immigrants brought with them that fanatic iconoclastic zeal which distinguished Islam in other parts of India, but from which Kashmir was happily free up to this time.” He further records, “Sikandar’s reign was disgraced by a series of acts, inspired by religious bigotry and iconoclastic zeal for which there is hardly any parallel in the annals of the Muslim rulers of Kashmir.”

 

 

Sufi terror  in Bengal:

An investigation of two greatest Sufi saints of Bengal outlined below will give us an inkling of the roles Sufis played in the proselytization and how peaceful it was. Two Jalaluddins, Shaykh Jalaluddin Tabrizi (d. 1226 or 1244) and Shaykh Shah Jalal (d. 1347), were the greatest Sufi saints of Bengal. Shaykh Jalaluddin Tabrizi came to Bengal after Bakhtiyar Khilji conquered Bengal defeating the Hindu King Lakshman Sena in 1205. He settled in Devtala near Pandua (Maldah, West Bengal). He is said to have “converted large number of Kafirs” to Islam but the method of his conversions is unknown. According to Syed Athar Abbas Rizvi, ‘a kafir (Hindu or Buddhist) had erected a large temple and a well (at Devtala). The Shaikh demolished the temple and constructed a takiya (khanqah)…’ This will give one a good deal of idea about the kind of means this great Sufi saint had employed in converting the kafirs to Islam.

Shaykh Shah Jalal, the other great Sufi saint of Bengal, had settled in Sylhet. He is regarded as a national hero by Bangladeshi Muslims. Shah Jalal and his disciples are credited with converting a large majority of Bengalis to Islam through truly peaceful means.

When Shah Jalal came to settle in Sylhet in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), it was ruled by a Hindu king, named Gaur Govinda. Before his arrival in Bengal, Sultan Shamsuddin Firuz Shah of Gaur had twice attacked Gaur Govinda; these campaigns were led by his nephew, Sikandar Khan Ghazi. On both occasions, the Muslim invaders were defeated. The third assault against Gaur Govinda was commanded by the sultan’s Chief General Nasiruddin. Shaykh Nizamuddin Auliya sent forth his illustrious disciple Shah Jalal with 360 followers to participate in this Jihad campaign. Shah Jalal reached Bengal with his followers and joined the Muslim army. In the fierce battle that ensued, King Gaur Govinda was defeated. According to traditional stories, the credit for the Muslim victory goes to Shah Jalal and his disciples.

 

As a general rule, every victory in Muslim campaigns brought a great many slaves, often tens to hundreds of thousand, who involuntarily became Muslim. Undoubtedly, on the very first day of Shah Jalal’s arrival in Sylhet, he helped conversion of a large number of kafirs by means of their enslavement at the point of the sword—a very peaceful means of propagating Islam indeed! Ibn Battutah, who paid a visit to Shah Jalal in Sylhet, records that his effort was instrumental in converting the infidels who embraced Islam there. But he gives no detail of the measures the Sufi saint employed in the conversion. One must take into consideration that Shah Jalal ‘came to India with 700 companions to take part in Jihad (holy war)’ and that he fought a bloody Jihad against King Gaur Govinda. These instances give a clear idea of the tools he had applied in converting the Hindus of Sylhet.

 

In another instance, Sufi saint Nur Qutb-i-Alam played a central role in making a high profile convert in Bengal. In 1414, Ganesha, a Hindu prince, revolted against Muslim rule and captured power in Bengal. The ascension of a Hindu to power created strong revulsion amongst both the Sufis and the Ulema. They repudiated his rule and enlisted help from Muslim rulers outside of Bengal. Responding to their call, Ibrahim Shah Sharqi invaded Bengal and defeated Ganesha. Nur Qutb-i-Alam, the leading Sufi master of Bengal, now stepped in to broker a truce. He forced Ganesha to abdicate and Ganesha’s twelve-year-old son Jadu was converted to Islam and placed on the throne under the name of Sultan Jalaluddin Muhammad. This conversion by a Sufi saint, call it peacefully or at the point of the sword, proved a boon for Islam. The Sufis (also the Ulema) trained the converted young sultan in Islam so well that he became a bloody converter of the infidels to Islam through extreme violence. There took place, says the Cambridge History of India, a wave of conversions in the reign of Jalaluddin Muhammad (1414–31).

About Jalaluddin’s distinguished role in converting the Hindus of Bengal to Islam, Dr James Wise wrote in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (1894) that ‘the only condition he offered was the Koran or death… many Hindus fled to Kamrup and the jungles of Assam, but it is nevertheless possible that more Mohammedans were added to Islam during these seventeen years (1414–31) than in the next three hundred years.’

 

Sufis and Gullible Hindus

The Sufis in India found great acceptability among gullible Hindus and they were respected for their deportment, dress, and use of Hindu terminology and for the manner in which they generally conducted themselves. They even adapted and adopted Hindu methods to make their cult attractive. It was propagated that the Atharva Veda was faithfully practiced by them. Their ‘Rishi Movement’ was an integral component of the process of Islamisation that started in the Kashmir valley in the wake of the introduction of the Sufi orders from Central Asia and Iran in the fourteenth century. In general they used their spiritual clout for converting Hindus without immediately changing their culture, i.e. externally they would be Hindus, but internally they were Muslims (crypto-Muslims) following all Hindu practices . The following terms common to Sufis all over the world and most probably borrowed by Sufis originally from Hindus, were used stressing their similarity to Hindu concepts.

 

‘Fikr’   –   Dhyan

‘Zikr’   –    Smarana or Japa

‘Voral Zikr ‘    – Bhajan

‘Wird ‘    – Manana

‘Shuhud’    –   Final stage of dhyana

‘Tasbih’  –     Mala or rosary

The following Sufi terms were used for their equivalents for the various Hindu stages of spiritual progress –

‘Talab’    –   Yearning for God

‘Ishq’    –   Love for this attainment

‘Marfat ‘   –   Enlightenment after realisation

‘Fana’    –   Surrender

‘Tauhid ‘   –   Experiencing Allah permeating all

‘Hairat ‘    – Ecstasy attained at the sight of Divinity

‘Fukr Wa Fana’    –   Moksha or Nirvana

 

Conclusion: Sufism in India has commonly been viewed as a secular attempt for eternal quest of the soul for its direct experience of the ultimate Super power. For centuries imbecile Hindus accepted Sufi shrines as a a symbol of communal harmony. A large number of them have been offering prayers in Sufi shrines without any reservation, but this liberal gesture has not been reciprocated ever by Muslims.Had Sufism been as commonly been viewed as an attempt to adapt Islam in Hindu tradition, there would have been no Islamic Jihad and separatism in India.. Contrary to the common perception that Sufism tried to unify the Hindu-Muslim spirituality for a communal harmony, the political Islamists of Sufi background accelerated  the process of Muslim separatism in Indian subcontinent. Their movements were the by-products of Sufi tradition of Islam, and were basically in favour of the political power of Islam in India. The ideology propounded by Waliullah finally ended up vivisecting the country in 1947.

 

Hindus in this country have been misled into believing that these Sufis were spirituality seekers analogous to Hindu sages and seers. These savages have been presented as saints by dhimmi Indian  politicians, ignorant Bollywood actors, careless cricketers and  so called secular media. Self-loathing feeble minded dhimmi Hindus have always been like turkeys voting for an early Christmas.

 

References:

http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Sufi

http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/essay_many_flavors.html

http://www.livingislam.org/k/si_e.html

‘Islamic Jihad: A Legacy of Forced Conversion, Imperialism, and Slavery’- MA Khan

‘Sufis and Sufism in india X-rayed’- Rajesh Ghambhava

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2005/05/sufi_jihad.html

‘The shrine and cult of Muinuddin Chishti of Ajmer’ -PM Curie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rinchan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikandar_Butshikan

‘A History Sufism in India’ -Saiyed Athar Abbas Rizvi

‘The Story of Islamic Imperialism in India’- Sitaram Goel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deobandi

http://www.chakranews.com/beauty-and-the-beast-of-sufism

‘Islam In india’- Ashok Joshi

Note: The whirling dervesh concept is not common in India.

#ReclaimTemples

Freeing Hindu temples from government control

Freeing Hindu temples from government control is a demand that is vociferously heard and debated in many platforms. The matter is also raised by politicians during elections and is forgotten soon after that. The Hindu temples continues to be milch cows for politicians as they toil hard in their pursuit of power.

 

In this regard it is essential to learn few facts, the geneses and evolution of the state control of Hindu temples.

 

British colonial administration

 

When Bharat was ruled by Kings in the ancient and recent past, many grand temples were constructed under royal patronage. It was customary on part of Kings to set aside the land and produce of villages to meet the expenses incurred in the worship and rituals of the Deity. Small temples had only few villages assigned to them, but larger temples had hundreds of villages whose land revenue and produce were used for the purposes of the Deity. Eventually all these lands were considered as belonging to the Presiding Deity of the temple.

 

This continued for a long time till the advent of the British. The British slowly took over the reigns of the various princely states of Bharat. The East India company enacted laws enabling the vesting in itself, the superintendence of all the lands granted for support of Hindu temples. This enabled the colonial administration to tap into the land revenue and also the gold and wealth of Hindu temples.

 

This however had another facet. The colonial administration also got entangled in the administration of Hindu temples. The officers of the British East India company involved and participated in the various rituals and festivals of the Hindu temples. The England at that time was not a secular state. The “Act of Supremacy” enacted in 1534 declared that the monarch was the “Supreme Head of the Church of England”. The participation of the colonial administration in rituals and festivals of Hindu temples angered the Christian missionaries and the Church.

 

Back in England, the missionaries and the clergy exerted their influence on the British government and knocked the highest echelons of the East India Company. As a result in 1833, the Court of Directors of the company issued instructions asking all the officer to desists from the administration of Hindu temples and participation in the Hindu festivals. The order went thus “The interference of British Functionaries in the interior management of native temples, in the customs, habits and religious proceedings of their priests and attendants, in the arrangement of their ceremonies, rites and festivals, and generally in the conduct of their interior economy, shall cease.”

 

The colonial government further reinforced their intent to keep away from temple administration when in 1863 a law was enacted which said that it would no longer be “lawful” for “any Government in India, or for any Officer of any Government” in his official capacity, to take over the “superintendence of any land or other property” belonging to a “Mosque, Temple, or other religious establishment”, to take part in the “management or appropriation of any [religious] endowment”, to nominate or appoint any trustee in a religious institution, “or to be in any way concerned therewith”. It was clear from this that the British considered the administration of Hindu temples as a burden and wanted to keep away from it. This ended the brief period where the British colonial government controlled Hindu temples. All Hindu temples were freed from the colonial administration.

 

Indian politicians enter the fray

 

However things again changed with the Government of India Act of 1919. As per the Act, elected legislators or Indian politicians entered the British Indian administration. Certain subjects were reserved by British government for administration by elected legislature and they were termed provincial subjects. The politicians found it suited to follow the British policy of suppression and oppression rather than fight the British. These politicians behaved like the loyal slaves of British, trying their best not to offend them in any manner. They carefully charted their path accordingly.

 

In 1926 Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act was passed by Indian politicians, taking over the administration of all temples in the Madras state. This sowed the seeds of administration of Hindu temples in modern India. Strangely it was the Indian politicians and not the British who fathered this monstrous law which is being used by every government to extract temple revenue to suit their own purposes. The Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act was duplicated in many states soon, as every politician wanted a share of the wealth belonging to Hindu Deities and was looking for ingenious ways for a legalized loot.

 

Conditions remain the same ever after close to a century since the first law to control Hindu temples was enacted. As of now there are more than 300 legislation and rules which enable governments to interfere on temple administration. The existence of various state governments is intrinsically linked to the money they manage to loot from Hindu temples under the guise of various schemes.

 

When it comes to looting Hindu temples, all politicians have showed remarkable ingenuity in hiving off its wealth. While politicians like Devendra Phadnavis used temple money to finance his irrigation and development schemes, politicians like Narendra Modi wanted temple gold to be invested in certain Tughlaq schemes of his making.

 

The path ahead

 

We have done an analysis of the various legislations by which governments interfere in temple administration. This is available for download via reclaimtemples.com/templelaws

 

The path ahead is sure to be interesting as we are fighting against a well entrenched enemy who will use all the wealth of Hindu temples against any attempt to displace them from temple administration. Also even if the governments are vacated from Hindu temples, there will be an influx of the clans, cults, mathas of various hues who will try to take over all the wealthy temples. A solution is to have a system where the top executive and decision making body is elected democratically by all devotees of the temple. We have made a draft law of temple administration and it can be downloaded from here. Admistration of Hindu temples Draft Act v 2.1, 2020

 

On our part we will start the legal process where the oppressive legislations will be targeted one by one and state by state. This is ultimately a process which needs to end in agitation for success to be visible. This is a small step in this regard. Ultimately this is a fight for Hindu society and the outcome will depend on the participation of general public. Any contribution can be made via imojo.in/legal

 

#ReclaimTemples

Hindu temples under Islamic occupation

We give below, state-wise and district-wise, the particulars of Muslim monuments which stand on the sites and/or have been built with the materials of Hindu temples, and which we wish to recall as witnesses to the role of Islam as a religion and the character of Muslim rule in medieval India. The list is the result of a preliminary survey. Many more Muslim monuments await examination. Local traditions which have so far been ignored or neglected, have to be tapped on a large scale.

 

We have tried our best to be exact in respect of locations, names and dates of the monuments mentioned. Even so, some mistakes and confusions may have remained. It is not unoften that different sources provide different dates and names for the same monument. Many Muslim saints are known by several names, which creates confusion in identifying their mazars or dargahs. Some districts have been renamed or newly, created and a place which was earlier under one district may have been included in another. We shall be grateful to readers who point out these mistakes so that they can be corrected in our major study. This is only a brief summary.

Sita Ram Goel

 

It should be kept in mind that the list below doesn’t include all the temples destroyed by Muslims and which were converted to mosques. The below is the list of mosques and Darghas where evidences exists of having been made after destroying the temples at these locations. In many mosques, Muslim rulers were able to eradicate all signs of temples, and hence not given in below list. Also the list is based on the list prepared by Sitaram Goel in 1990, hence the list correspond to the geography of the state and districts as it existed then.

 

Anyone is free to visit the below list of mosques and see the remnants and materials of Hindu temples. Archaeological Survey of India should conduct an excavation of below mosques to find out more about the ancient temples in these locations and possible mass graves around the mosque sites.

 

Andhra Pradesh : Click here to download PDF

Assam : Click here to download PDF

Bengal : Click here to download PDF

Bihar : Click here to download PDF

Delhi : Click here to download PDF

Diu : Click here to download PDF

Gujarat : Click here to download PDF

Haryana : Click here to download PDF

Himachal Pradesh : Click here to download PDF

Karnataka : Click here to download PDF

Kashmir : Click here to download PDF

Kerala : Click here to download PDF

Lakshadweep : Click here to download PDF

Madhya Pradesh : Click here to download PDF

Maharashtra : Click here to download PDF

Odisha : Click here to download PDF

Punjab : Click here to download PDF

Rajasthan : Click here to download PDF

Tamil Nadu : Click here to download PDF

Uttar Pradesh : Click here to download PDF

 

A Hindu temple remains so till eternity as PranaPratishta is done during the consecration. And being perpetual minors the property rights of the Deity are never abated as per law. Our Gods are lying mutilated in Hindu temple sites across Bharat awaiting resurrection and revival of worship. Be part of the movement to #ReclaimTemples

Restarting centuries old Hindu festival of Kerala

Kerala, the place between the Western Ghats and Arabian sea has a long history. The place now called Malappuram district in Kerala was once the centre of Vedic learning and practices. The land was home to many Gods and their temples. Many festivals were celebrated on this sacred land, many of which were lost during periods of upheavals.

One such festival is Thirunavaya Maagamaka Mahotsava which is celebrated on the auspicious month of Makam. The festival was last held in 1776, and due to the rampant riots and invasions, the festival ceased to be conducted. But a few of people from across South India continue to visit the place even after, the information mostly transferred through generations.

Maghamakam rituals held in 2018

We are now making an effort to revive the festival and restart the ritualistic prayers on the banks of Bharatapuzha river on the auspicious day. The festival will be held at Navamukunda temple premises in Tirunavaya, Malappuram ,Kerala.

Navamukunda temple Tirunavaya Malappuram Kerala

We believe the yearly festival where saints from all over Bharat assemble at Malappuram Kerala and hold ritualistic prayers at Bharatapuzha river bank will  cause a revival of Dharma in the district.

Below are some of the highlights of the festival. For detailed schedule and events, please refer to the invitation brochure attached.

Invitation Brochure Page 1

2019, Jan 21: The festival will be inaugurated by representatives of the royal families of Kerala. On the day is 108 Agnihotra homams by Kashyapa Research Foundation

2019, Jan 22: Seminar on culture and history under lead of Shri KK Muhammad who is famous for the ASI report on RamMandir.

2019, Jan 23: On this day, Sanyasis from across Bharat will be welcomed and ritualistic worship will happen on banks of Bharatapuzha river. This event will be graced by Chidanandapuri Swamiji of Advaithashram and other Sanyasis from across Bharat.

On 23 Jan 2019, Swamy Chidanandapuri ji will also be releasing the book Destroyed temples of Kerala Vol 1, which comprises of the history and details of 25 Hindu temples that were destroyed during invasion of Tipu Sultan and later Moplah riots. The book may be ordered online via http://imojo.in/td002

Destroyed temples of Kerala Vol 1 (Malayalam)

The press conference explaining the significance of the festival, the details of the seminars and the programme schedule was held at Malappuram Kerala. Shri Tirur Dinesh and Swamy Paramananda Puri explained to the press. Below is the news report on the press conference.

Press conference held at Malappuram Kerala explaining the festival

The event is being conducted by Oral History Research Foundation and UgraNarasimha Charitable Trust. The organising committee consists of representatives of various Mathas and Ashrams in Kerala. Matha Amritanandamayi Devi is the Mukhya Rakshadhikari of the organising committee. HH Swami Chidanandapuri of Advaitashram, Kerala , Acharya M R Rajesh of Kashyapa Veda Research Foundation are amongst other dignitaries supporting the organising of the festival.

A major expense incurred for festival is that of taking care of saints and sadhus who represent various Mathas and Sampradayas and who come from places across Bharat. We intend to treat them well with customary welcome and gifts like clothes.

Any contribution can be made via our fundraiser page ket.to/rt001 or directly to our below bank account or via online gateway instamojo.com/@ReclaimTemples

Name: UgraNarasimha Charitable Trust

Bank A/c: 6300101000705

IFSC: CNRB0006300

Donations can also be made to our UPI/BHIM id donate@hsbc

#ReclaimTemples

Constitution of India, the need for referendum

Every nation has its own bedrock based on which its institutions, laws and administrations are built on. For countries like Saudi Arabia it is the Quran and the Islamic theology that forms this bed rock. For some states like Britain it is the customs and rights that evolved over time. However most states have a written Constitution that acts more like an agreement between the government and the governed. The expectations of the people from the state, the powers that the people delegate to the state to fulfil the expectations, the nature of the state and the freedom enjoyed by the people are enshrined in this Constitution. As such the Constitution is a vital document that is defined by the goals of its civilisation, aspirations of the people and acceptability of the powers of the state by the people.

The aspirations of the people are taken care during the drafting of the Constitution. For example the United States Constitution enshrines the goals for which the American people had fought for from the British. And many times the Constitutions borrows heavily from earlier declarations and documents that encapsulates the aspirations of the people. In case of United States, its is the  1776 Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation which was adopted in 1781 that was relied during Drafting of the US Constitution.

And it is for doing justice to the lofty goal of reflecting the will of the people, that the persons entrusted for drafting the constitution are carefully selected by the people themselves. The western democracies with stability and known as haven for human rights have done this well. The exceptions are the countries like Syria which have drafted and adopted a new Constitution by a Committee appointed by the government which doesn’t reflect the will of the people.

Indian Constitution is in shaky grounds even at these basic premises. The first and foremost is the representation of the Constituent Assembly which framed the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly of India derived its powers and was constituted as per the decisions of the British Crown and it invariably included people inimical to the core values the people of Bharat always stood for. The Constituent Assembly had representatives of the Muslim League who succeeded in blocking the core Dharmik values of Indian civilisation from being enshrined in the Constitution.

Also the Constituent Assembly was never a representative of the populace of Bharat, but only the miniscule of those elite who had the right to vote to Provincial Assemblies in elections held in 1946. The Provincial Assemblies further selected the Constituent Assembly for Bharat, with special representation ensured for Muslims. The large section of Indian population thus was deprived of their representation in Constituent Assembly, nor had a say in who drafted the vital document which governed their relation to the state.

Secondly the Constituent Assembly largely was a motley crowd led by English educated barristers, Indians by birth but British by values. The result was that the awe and inspiration they had for the British crown and the Westminster model of governance seeped its way to the Indian Constitution rather than adoption of an administration that synchronise with Indian ethos and diversities. As a result the treatises and ancient wisdom of Bharat was substituted by the colonial era laws like Government of India Act 1935 and Government of India Act 1919. The Constituent Assembly borrowed heavily from the laws which the British enacted for exploitation of Bharat. The result of this ‘heresy’ is that the nature of the Government of India remained same that of British. Justice, equality remains a distant dream as the colonial era bureaucracy and judiciary still dispense justice in still the colonial ways based on who stand in front of them and not based on the concept of Dharma.

The discussions and debates during the drafting of Constitution is recorded and accessible easily. An important section is where Jawaharlal Nehru succeeded in inserting provisions which goes against the concept of equality and justice. In his intervention, Nehru claimed that the Constitution of Bharat should be accommodative of the apprehension of the minorities and demanded inclusion of various provisions which he said will alleviate fears of minorities in Bharat. Nehru was hopeful that the partition of Bharat will fail and hence the Constitution should be drafted keeping in mind the undivided Bharat including both Pakistan and Bangladesh with sizeable population of Muslims. The Articles 25-32 was thus included, popularly known as minority rights. Such additions altered the character of the Constitution of Bharat and it can be reasonably said that it never represented the aspirations of the people of Bharat. And if given a chance the people of Bharat would have rejected the said articles.

All the infirmities and wrinkles during drafting stage of Indian constitution could have been ironed out if it had stood the minimum test required for any Constitution, that is acceptance of the majority of the people via a referendum. Indian Constitution fails miserably at this critical juncture as the people of Bharat were never given an opportunity to ratify the Constitution and signal its acceptance.

It was assumed that the people have accepted the Constitution of India. The claims will fall flat as the Drafting Committee and Constituent Assembly were appointed by British crown, and the representation of people of Bharat was miniscule. The entire document was drafted by British educated barristers who stitched together what they plagiarised from various Constitutions from around the world. Even today, the Constitution of Bharat is the domain of the lawyers than ordinary Indian citizens.

Due to such infirmities in the drafting stage, the Constitution of India has resulted in aggravating the inequalities and injustice which existed during British rule. Constitution of Bharat has relegated the status of Hindus to second class citizens of Bharat who are having lesser rights than the minorities. The result being that the state thrives on the money which Hindus offer to their Gods, thereby depriving resources for strengthening their religious and cultural institutions. The judiciary and bureaucracy still carries the white mans burden, and they lighten their burden by imposing Victorian moralities and British laws on the thousands years old rituals and traditions of Bharat. The colonial era exploitation still exists and the victims are those who consider this land as their own.

The present Constitution of Bharat  has thus carried the Indian state to a state of dysfunction, the tension that Constitution is causing has the potential to cause another partition or even the demise of Indian civilisation and all the values that it represents.

It is at this crucial juncture that amends has to be made and correct the past mistakes. And the best way to start is by giving the people of Bharat what has been denied to them for decades, the freedom to accept or reject the Constitution that defines their lives and existence in this nation. A referendum needs to be held to ratify the Constitution of India. Else the Constitution of Bharat in its enforcement will draw parallels to the military dictatorships where the people plays no role in defining or accepting the bed rock of their nation.

#ReclaimTemples

Sword of Tipu Sultan

Strange times we live in. We see Tipu Sultan immortalized and festivals arranged by the elected governments in his name. Many historians however claim that Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan was a communal fanatic who conducted a jihad in Karnataka and Kerala by destroying several temples, forceful conversion of Hindus and butchered those who refused to convert to Islam.

The letters from Tipu to his Generals illustrate religious fanaticism of the Sultan. Renowned historian and statesman Sardar K M Panicker had translated these letters and were published in Bhashaposhini 1099 Chingam vol. I

Letter – 6 : Sent to Ziyad Abdullah on 1790 January 18th:

“With the help of Muhammad and blessings of God, we have inducted nearly all non-believers into Islam. Few people are left unconverted at the border of the Kochi Kingdom. I have decided to convert them also as Mohammedans soon. I consider this as a religious War.”

There is an argument that Tipu Sultan was a secular who funded the renovation of some temples. Showing the temple in the fort, they ask, had Tipu been an iconoclast wouldn’t he be demolishing the temple in his headquarters first? Tipu kept Brahmins as advisers. They ask why he did not convert these Brahmins if he was an Anti-Hindu?

What is the truth in this? Tipu blindly believed in astrology. The palace Astrologists were Brahmins. Since the temple in Srirangapatnam Fort belonged to them, Tipu did not demolish at the temple. Astrologers attributed the continuous defeats met by Tipu to the demolition of temples and suggested the renovation of temples as the only remedial measure. His donations to the temples were a result of this advice.

There is also a reason for him not changing the religion of the palace astrologists. The astrologists of Srirangapatnam fort were traditional brahmins. Tipu’s father Hyderali was a faujdar in Dindigul when he treacherously captured the throne of Mysore. In June 1759 Hyder could install his aide Kunde Rao by replacing Nanje Rao, the only remaining minister of the puppet King of Mysore. In 1761 June, Hyder captured power by ousting Kunde Rao. So technically he was not the King. Since the customs and ways of the palace have been formally recognised to keep the power intact, the palace Astrologers were spared from being subjected to religious conversion.

Mohemmadan army under Hyder first entered Malabar to collect the 12 lakhs rupees they had to obtain as per the war treaty signed with the Samoothiri of Calicut. In those days, Kannur was known as the land of Moplahs. The Moplah soldiers of Ali Raja, of Kannur, had already joined the Mysore Army. Like Tipu, Hyder’s raids also were also driven by the religious hatred to annihilate Hindus. Hyder Ali and the Moplah’s killed numerous Hindus. He organised his jihad in Malabar by plundering and torching the temples. His son Tipu continued this Jihad of his father and the atrocities and destruction rivaled that of Hyder Ali.

Tipu was in Ponnani, while Hyder Ali died on December 7th, 1782. Being a hardcore Islamist, he decided to convert Kerala into an Islamic country and annex it to Mysore. Brutally, he started over his jihad from where Hyder Ali stopped.

The story of Tipu Sultan is one of genocide, destruction of Hindu temples and pure evil . Recounting just one incident is enough to reflect his cruelty and barbarism. Around 2000 Hindus had sought refuge in the Kuttipuram fort of the Kadathanattu Raja inorder to save themselves from the Muslim invaders. Tipu Sultan threatened them to be killed unless they converted to Islam. Many converted out of fear and they were forcefully fed cow meat.

More than 3000 Hindu temples were destroyed during the invasion of Tipu Sultan and subsequent Moplah riots. Hundreds of such ruins exists even today, where the Vigrahas can be seen with their hands, legs and head cutoff. These temples are mute witnesses to the genocide and terror that Hindu society had to suffer from religious extremists and marauders. In 2018 was started the efforts to document such ruins and revive such temples. Any support towards the efforts can be made via https://reclaimtemples.com//fundraisers/

Courtesy: Destroyed temples of Kerala Volume 1, Introduction. Author: Tirur Dinesh

The book can be ordered online or read on kindle via https://www.amazon.in/Destroyed-temples-Kerala-Vol-1/dp/8193929926

 

#ReclaimTemples

#LightALamp to revive our ancestral temples

The glory of Hindu civilisation is well evident in the magnificent temples and extra ordinary architectural skills imbibed in them. Many of these temples were centers of divine energy which helps the devotees during their various stages of life and even as cure for their maladies. The Hindu Gods and Goddesses consecrated at these temple sites were believed to have protected the people and the people in turn protected them.

However during the dark days of Islamic invasion of Bharat, lakhs of Hindu temples were destroyed across Bharat and they now lies in ruins as mute witness to the barbaricity of the invading hordes. Worse is the fact that many of these temple sites are abandoned by Hindus and even the customary rituals and Poojas are not done.

We have started #LightALamp initiative where we will be reviving worship in as many Hindu temples as possible, either in ruins or abandoned or neglected by the local population.

The revival will start with devotees lighting a lamp, as simple as an earthen lamp at the temple site. This can be done by anybody and accompanied by mantras if a person is well versed in it. The offering of fire to the Deity will rekindle the Divinity of the place and the revival of whole temple will happen in due time.

We have found that many often the people who are willing to restart Poojas and worship doesn’t have money or resources. To lend a helping hand and attempting to restart worship, we will be providing Rs. 2000 per month for 6 months for meeting expenses of temples where Poojas are not done, to ameliorate the difficulty faced and for starting worship in new temple sites. We believe that initial assistance will help individuals to restart worship at these abandoned ruins in his locality . And in another six months the devotees themselves can share the expenses and continue the Poojas.

We request you to support such initiative in your ancestral village or locality and contribute towards the same directly to the person reviving the worship. Together we can build #ReclaimTemples movement and ensure that no Hindu temple in Bharat lies abandoned, no Deity in Bharat is devoid of their due worship.

If you would like to connect us to such ancient temples which needs attention, please download our Android app via reclaimtemples.com/android and submit the details of the temple.

To become a volunteer in your district, please register with us via imojo.in/dharma

#ReclaimTemples

Mapping the Heritage monuments of Bharat

The land of Bharat was home to the most prosperous civilisation the world has ever seen. The remnants of this glorious civilisation now exists as ruins across Bharat. The magnitude of destruction that Hindu civilisation had suffered from Islamic invaders can be guaged from these ruins.

In our estimate, more than 2 lakh Hindu temples now exist in various stages of ruins and neglect and abandoned across the length and breadth of Bharat. The magnitude of the efforts required is huge and to make any change on the ground requires simultaneous work towards the revival of the Heritage monuments. The urgency is due to fact that slowly the Heritage monuments are getting destroyed, lost to Heritage thieves, vandalism, and encroachment by vested interests and even by Islamic and Christian fundamentalist organisations.

Keeping in view the efforts required, we have started off by mapping the Heritage monuments. The first phase was to map the structures under supervision of Archaeological Survey of India. We asked via RTI, the coordinates of monuments. But the response from the ASI revealed how lethargic and clumsy bureaucrats can virtually kill any reform envisaged under the RTI. ASI didn’t give us the coordinates.

We however decided to go ahead with mapping and secured the coordinates from publicly available sources and google maps. This was a task that required much manpower, and our volunteers command all the appreciation and respect in this regard.

We have released the initial map of Heritage monuments under ASI supervision as a google map and can be visited, downloaded via www.reclaimtemples.com/ASImap

The coordinates of some monuments secured from public sources are only accurate at the Tehsil level and needs further refining. This we are accomplishing gradually with help from volunteers.

Our next task involves mapping the Heritage monuments which are not under supervision of Archaeological Survey of India. For this, we are depending on crowd sourced efforts to locate the Heritage structures in their locality.

For easily submit the details and also to bring visibility to these Heritage monuments, we have developed an Android App ‘#ReclaimTemples Explore’ and released in Google Play Store. The app can be downloaded via https://reclaimtemples.com//android

We now depend on general public and Heritage enthusiasts to submit details of Heritage monuments in their locality. We will also be doing it via our volunteers.

The details submitted will be in public domain and slowly these unknown Heritage sites will get due publicity and attract visitors. We hope that the process will lead to rejuvenation of these Heritage sites and revival of worship will also happen at the ancestral Hindu temples now lying in ruins.

How you can contribute to Heritage of Bharat

  1. Download our Android App ‘#ReclaimTemples Explore’ from Google Play store. Click here
  2. Submit the details of atleast 10 Heritage sites in your locality via our App
  3. Share the App with atleast 10 friends and ask them to do same.
  4. Become a volunteer for the project by registering via imojo.in/dharma
  5. Donate to the project via instamojo.com/@ReclaimTemples

Success ahead

#ReclaimTemples

 

Intellectual Kshatriyas of tomorrow

The 1980s was a time of resurgence of Hindu religion and culture. The Ramjanmabhumi agitation had fired up the minds of many, and hundreds of thousands of Hindus braved the bullets to build a temple for Lord Sriram.

It was also the time of resurgence of intellectualism amongst Hindus. There were a group of individuals, who found the need to research on topics neglected for long and spread the truth of the history of Bharat. They did what nobody had done before to provide the intellectual base and momentum for a movement they thought will rebuild Hindu Rashtra.

Amongst the intellectuals of that time, SitaRam Goel, Ram Swarup and Koenraad Elst stand out among the rest. What made them stalwarts were their commitment to original research and truth. They did extra ordinary work to find the truth of the matter by going through historical documents, Mughal court records and other historically significant works. Of them Sitaram Goel visited medieval era Masjids across Bharat and collected evidences of them being Hindu temples.

The towering work and commitment of the sort would have earned them laurels and recognition. But what they gained was neglect and also banishment by various organisations. As a result the intellectualism in the Hindu society that promotes original Dharmik thoughts subsided, and propagandists took their place.

This is an attempt to revive the concept of Intellectual Kshatriya amongst Hindus. We are looking to nurture the best minds, who can think originally, analytically and has the courage to speak and write what they found by hard research and facts. The Intellectual Kshatriyas would have the answers to Leftist and British historians and archaeologists who corrupted history of Bharat to suit their interests.

Over the course of time we will partnering with various organisations, individuals to promote the intellectualism and nurture them. We intend to give scholarship and honorariums to best minds and offer them a ecosystem to present and evolve their thoughts and research.

Prayaan Scholarship on Indic Studies and Heritage

Prayaan Foundation is offering one time award of Rs. 10,000 to those who present original research papers on Indic Heritage. The topics available are

  1. Indo Saracenic architecture, the evolution of domes and arches
  2. Identifying the truth about Hindu Muslim architecture

The papers can be submitted via http://bit.ly/2DDsXtq

Research Articles on ReclaimTemples.com website

We welcome research articles on topic of Islamic destruction of Hindu temples to be published on our website www.reclaimtemples.com . The best articles will be given a honorarium of Rs. 3,000

The articles may be submitted via http://bit.ly/2GHBXko

We value the time and efforts that need to be spend for the research work, and have instituted the scholarship and honorarium so that it will help in procuring the needed resources and will benefit the researchers.

And we hope that Intellectual Kshathriyas will rise who will have the courage and conviction and capability to record the true history of Bharat, devoid of any propaganda to suit anyone.

#ReclaimTemples
“Dharm Ka Saath, Adharm Ka Vinaash”