Temples must be accessed by all Hindus without any caste discrimination.

All Hindus, regardless of caste or creed, should be welcomed to worship in any temple, free from conspiracy or exclusion.

Upananda Brahmachari 

This week we have got two embarrassing news one from Kendrapara, Odisha and another from Mandya, Karnataka.

In Kendrapara, several Scheduled Caste women of Hindu faith staged a dharna at a temple in Garajanga village under Marsaghai block on Saturday (Nov 9, 2024) after they were allegedly prevented from offering milk to the deity.

In Mandya, tensions prevailed in Hanakere village on Sunday (Nov 10, 2024) after members of the Dalit community entered a temple to worship deity “Kalabhairaveshwar” for first time.

In the first case of Odisha- Kendrapara, the humiliated SC women accused the temple priests and some people from upper caste of preventing them from offering milk to the deity at Siddheswari Ramachandi temple in the village. The protesters said when they objected to the discrimination, the priests and people from upper caste allegedly hurled casteist abuses at them.

In the second case of Mandya- Karnataka, “tensions prevailed in Hanakere village after members of the Dalit community entered a temple to worship deity “Kalabhairaveshwar”, police said adding that heavy police forces have been deployed in the area to maintain peace.The  differences between upper-caste Gowda community and the dalit groups heated the situation, as reports came in.

When the Sanatan Hindu Dharma advocates inclusivity and unity in diversity, such fissures in different communities on the basis of caste and creed are quite unacceptable.

In the Sanatan Hindu tradition, which recognizes one supreme reality and acknowledges the entire universe as its divine creation, exclusion has no place. Every individual is free to worship the Supreme in their own unique way, reflecting their personal devotion and submission. This faith beautifully upholds the inherent right of each person to worship, embracing diversity and inclusivity as its core essence.

Ironically, Hindus often overlook the significant role that Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Dalit communities have played in safeguarding Hindu society during times of crisis, particularly when faced with anti-Hindu communal forces. Despite historical exclusions and social marginalization, these communities have consistently stood alongside their fellow Hindus, protecting and preserving the fabric of Hindu culture and tradition.

In this context, the incidents of Kedrapara preventing SC women to offer milk to the deity or creating tension for the entry of Dalits in Kalabhairaveshwar temple in Mandya are seer idiocy rejecting  the core essence Sanatan Hindu Dharma, if not a conspiracy hatched to divide Hindu society in the name of caste and creed under political perpetration.

Now, Hindus are passing through a very critical phase of making a Hindu Rashtra in Bharat. The anti-Hindutva elements (including pseudo-Hindutva, Secular, Islamist, Evangelist, Communist etc.) are trying hard to destroy the unity of Virat Hindu Samaj infusing many differences of caste-conflicts, political divisions, economical discrimination and so on.

Unless, Hindus are ready to upholds its solidarity rejecting such caste-conflicts, political divisions, economical discrimination and other plotted issues in order to make Hindus divided and confronted, the goal of Hindu Rashtra will be unachieved for ever.

To strengthen our Hindu society, the repressive caste system must be reprimanded and all Hindus, regardless of caste or creed, should be welcomed to worship in any temple.
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__News inputs from TNIE & HT.