Tamil Nadu Hindus must be hanging their heads in shame. The recent news on the arrest of four temple priests in that state shows how DMK uses the HRCE Act as a weapon. The arrest not only reveals the vulnerability of temple priests under CM Stalin’s rule but also showcases the harsh reality of Hindu Priests under the draconian HRCE Act.Â
While the DMK calls the Priest thieves, logical Hindus question for how long Bharat’s temples will remain cash cows for anti-Bharat forces. Let’s talk!Â
Tamil Nadu HRCE Officer Arrests Priests For TheftÂ
The incident occurred at Vana Badrakaliamman Temple in Thekkampatti. The Tamil Nadu HRCE official installed CCTV to spy on the temple priests. Why? Because he thought they were stealing from the temple donations. What he found was that the priests were not taking from the ‘hundi’ but accepting personal donations on the ‘Patra’ or Aarti Thali! These donations were probably offered to the priests in their hands. Maybe the priests asked devotees to place any Dakshina on the Patra or plate.
The HRCE official reported the priests Ragupathy, Dandapani, Vishnukumar, and Saravanan for embezzling temple funds.
The DMK govt has begun enforcing a law mandating temple priests to deposit even thali donations they get towards hundi collection. The High court has gone ahead and endorsed this. Now four priests have been arrested for taking thali donations home.
India. No country for Hindus. pic.twitter.com/Ig5lxTpSWf
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) April 30, 2024
The Assistant Commissioner for the temple arrested the four religious leaders and the court has put them in jail. Moreover, he also filed charges against the hereditary trustee for allowing priests to take Patra Dakshina home. Unfortunately, the HRCE official has the law at his side. He quotes a Madras High Court order stating that all donations, including Patra donations, must be deposited in the Hundi. Consequently, this order has allowed the HRCE to put four Hindu religious leaders behind bars for taking what is presumed to be temple funds but in reality is ‘Dakshina in the Patra’.Â
Tamil Nadu Temple Devotees In Shock
The priests’ arrest has outraged the devotees, religious leaders, and political outfits. The incident has restarted the conversation around the Place of Worship Act and the HRCE Act in the state.
Most devotees question why religious leaders of Churches and Mosques are no government’s high payrolls.
But the average priest only receives a salary of 24,000 annually in Tamil Nadu.
Additionally, they are asking why Hundi donations go to the state government. Furthermore, they are outraged by how HRCE conveniently spends on ‘social’ welfare schemes that includes all religions. It is suspected that most of the temple money is subverted towards minority appeasement and propagation of anti-Brahmin agenda. Rumors state that sometimes they fund ruling political party’s meetings as well. Consequently, the temple money finds everything else but those who devote their lives to the deity.
Therefore, most modern devotees choose to not pay a ‘Dakshina’ to the Hundi which comes under the temple’s control. They prefer to honor the priest for performing his religious duty by keeping money on the ‘Patra’ plate. Unfortunately, it seems this method is an unlawful way to give Dakshina to religious gurus in Tamil Nadu.
Free The Temples, Respect The Priests
The recent arrests of temple priests highlight how the devious HRCE Act and the DMK is biased against Hindu religious leaders.
Struggling with meager salaries, lack of resources, and diminishing finances; temple priests are often left to fend for themselves. The meager salary is often only enough to keep the body and soul together. How are these priests supposed to support their families? And why will the next generation of priests take over temple duty for such a small salary? Additionally, is the HRCE slowly dissuading Hindu Brahmins from religious practice? And will active Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu slowly fade out? While HRCE claims temple Hundi donations, the court also views Patra donation as the temple’s property.
So @mkstalin administration arrests temple priests for taking the donations left by the devotees on the Arati plates. This is the most blatant display of fascism and discrimination. Temple priests in TN get a pittance from the @tnhrcedept. What is deposited in the Hundi goes to… pic.twitter.com/4REXeC9RcX
— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) April 30, 2024
If no action is raised against the HRCE, any Hindu priest left will have to moonlight as a thief for wanting college tuitions and marriage funds for their daughters. Instead of looking at this case through the lens of ‘corrupt Brahman;’ view it through the mirror of how HRCE loots temples and financially suffocates Hindu religious leaders. The dire situation is the most alarming problem of the modern era.
However, the solution to the problem lies not in increased salaries or direct donations to priests. They would merely provide transient relief for the religious leaders. The solution lies in freeing the temples from state control. Thus, only the abolishment of the HRCE Act will allow Sanatana Dharma to flourish in conversion-ridden southern India. Let’s hope that this ardent dream of Hindus will find wings soon. May Paramatman save the jailed priests who stand abused under the HRCE terror of DMK!