By Arun Shanghvi

 
Mohan Gowda, Hindu Jana Jagruti Vedike spokesperson stated that the government has decided to go ahead with demolishing this large number of religious structures. 

The verdict of the Supreme Court clearly states that all religious structures that are built after December 7, 2009 must be demolished and most of these religious structures are Hindu temples across Mangalore.  With regards to those places of worship built before December 7, 2009–they will be examined case by case before a decision is made for whether they will become regularized structures, relocated or demolished. 
 
A very short notice has been given with no opportunity for appeal and the state government in its affidavit to the Supreme Court has agreed to clear all illegal religious structures by the end of this month. 

Gowda further stated that although the Supreme Court has allowed for temples that are over 30 years old to be regularized, the Karnataka government is simply seeking to demolish because the process of regularizing will be time consuming and not worth their time. It’s unfortunate according to him, that temples over 300 years old are at risk of demolition. 
 

Some temples that have received demolition notices are over 100 year old including the Kateel Temple in Dwara and the Mukhya Prana temple in Mangalore. 
The same government that had promised to protect the Hindu temples is not supporting and acting towards a demolition drive.  

Three hundred temples have now been given orders to relocate but there are many problems finding a place to relocate such a high number of temples and with so many restricted areas for religious structures present.

Shamshan Ghat Temple in Pakistan shared by Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists

Islamabad, Pakistan (CHAKRA) —The minority Hindu community in Pakistan has protested against the demolition of a pre-partition 87-year-old Hindu temple, in the town of Rawalpindi, but the destruction has been set to take place.

The temple was being used by Hindus and Sikhs to perform the last rituals of close ones, according to Jagmohan Kumar, the head of the Hindu community in Rawalpindi.

Kumar said, the Shamshan Ghat temple is not only used by the local Hindus but also by the foreign missions of China and the Buddhist community.

The Shamshan Ghat temple and land was given to Hindus when Benazir Bhutto was in power while Kishan Chand Parwani was the federal minister for the minorities in her cabinet.  Kumar added that the temple is now being demolished while the land is being kept for the community.

According to Kumar, before the Shamshan Ghat temple was built on this land, it used to have several temples along Tipu Road and Nullah Leh.  However, some of those temples were demolished before partition while the rest were flattened to the ground after the 1992 Babri Masjid occurrence in India.  Many of the spaces where the temples originally stood are presently occupied by residential apartment buildings beside the Raja Bazaar in Rawalpindi. 

Jagmohan’s commented on how muslims would feel if their mosques were demolished for the purpose of residential growth. Hindus are fed up in Pakistan but have no voice and reports have shown that over hundreds of Hindu temples are destroyed in Pakistan on an annual basis. Many analysts forecast that all Hindu temples (tens of thousands before 1947) will be destroyed by 2020 by Muslim extremists.

Toronto, Ontario (CHAKRA) – One of India’s most moving philosophers, who died at the early age of 32, is being remembered 1300 years later for his part in strengthening and reviving Hinduism.

Shankaracharya’s teachings are being remembered this Sunday at the consecration of a temple built in his name.  The temple is dedicated to the history of his teachings and contributions to Hinduism.  The ritual being celebrated on Sunday is known as Kumbhabhishekam and will be held in Rexdale where the new temple is situated.  This is the first temple of its kind which has been made to honour Shankaracharya’s philosophies of Hinduism.

Approximately, 10, 000 people are expected to attend the consecration at the Sringeri Temple’s newly-built tower, which is aesthetically typified by South Indian style architecture, in which priests will take part in the auspicious inauguration.

The building which is located on Brydon Dr. will be transformed into a temple after priests use holy water from the Ganges, Yamuna and other great rivers of India to spiritually cleanse and then permeate into a temple.

About 21 priests have flown in from India to attend this revered ceremony.  They will be taking part in the ceremony by chanting starting from Friday until the Sunday and will be clothed in saffron dhotis.

The $12 million building has been funded by various Indian foundations, consists of a museum, community center, as well as a library for the study of Hinduism.

Up until the end of last week, final additions were still being made to the building, by craftsmen who brought slabs of granite and marble panels from Rajestan both of which depict carvings that portray the story of Shankaracharya’s life.

President of the Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation, V.I. Lakshmanan praised Shankaracharya’s character by stating that he is a great soul who lived for a short time but did great things. 

Shankaracharya is known for his belief in non-dualism suggesting that there is no separation from god.  God is within everyone and is in oneself, according to his teachings.

Although the temple is now almost at the end of its construction, the community centre has existed for over two years providing free Yoga classes, dance classes as well as youth camps.

The temple will likely attract attendees who are descendents of both North and South India because of its focus on the goddess of learning and wisdom, Sharada—who is the main deity of the temple.

The goal from the beginning was to serve all Hindus regardless of which part of India they descend from, according to Lakshmanan.  He is a scientist who works in sustainable development.

The Sringeri temple not only celebrates the teachings of Shankaracharya but will also serve as a social community place for the gathering of Hindus.

Auckland, New Zealand (CHAKRA) – With the visit of Jain leader, Munishri Jinchandraji to Auckland, the Jain community is one step closer to building a place of worship of their own there.  As the community, with the help of Jinchandraji are making progress towards their goal, they are looking forward to a new place where they can feel a sense of community and togetherness.

Wearing simple a clean white cloth, symbolizing purity, wrapped around his body, Jinchandraji has been leading a life apart from all material things since the early age of just eight.  He has been leading such a virtuous life for the last 57 years.  When listening to his discourses or having a personal conversation with him one will immediately notice that he is a believer in clarity of thought and expression, has a sincere concern for today’s youth and is a purely charitable individual with thoughts of compassion for his fellow beings.

When asked for his views on the youth of current society, Jinchandraji answered, “Young minds are vulnerable to temptations in life and easily fall a prey to such evil habits as smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and consuming narcotic drugs. Children born in Western countries are even more exposed to these dangers than their counterparts in India. It is therefore our duty to guide today’s youth to good things in life. Perhaps there is a need to reinstate the faith of Jainism.”

The Jain leader believes that the Hindu philosophy of “Ahimsa” meaning non-violence or the concept of Satya (truth) should be at the core of each individual’s principles and way of life.  Furthermore, honesty, sincerity and helping others in a form of social service are what should be on every person’s mind he states.

He believes the proposed Jain temple is a good starting point for the Jain community in New Zealand and said that considering the Jain community is only 200 families strong in New Zealand they are off to a very good start towards engaging themselves and the youth into the rich culture Jainism has to offer.

Dimple Shah, Jain Sangh president in New Zealand said that they are looking for a plot to accommodate a temple that can be a place of worship as well as facilitate a meeting place such as a community center for Jains or non-Jains.  In addition, they have planned to build a learning center for the youth especially and adults. 

Jinchandraji said, “We hope to construct a community hall which will be useful for religious, social and community events of our Sangh and perhaps all other groups subject to our norms. “

He further stated, “The construction project will also incorporate classrooms for learning,”

Overall, the community center should function as a place to bring together Jains and non-Jains.

“Jainism can be practiced by anyone who believes in our simple, easy-to-follow principles. We believe in universal brotherhood and achieving high levels of education,” Jinchandraji said.

Jains participate in all religious and cultural observances but follow a strict vegetarian diet keeping away from any root-vegetables as well.  Not all Jains follow the non-consumption of root-vegetables.  Some festivals in which Jains are seen to participate in New Zealand are, Ram Navami, Diwali, Baisakhi, and Saraswathi Pooja.  They are also known to take part in other cultural and ethnic festivals because their philosophies encourage multiculturalism.  

“Jainism is an ancient religion of India, also now found in other countries around the world. Its philosophy and practice rely mainly on self-effort in progressing the soul on the spiritual ladder to divine consciousness,” Jinchandraji said.

The Jain community is a small but strong community in New Zealand, with over 10 million followers in India.  In addition it is growing in North America, the Far East, Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Jains account for the highest literacy rate out of any religious group in India because of their focus on education as an importance.  In India, Jains are found in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and are known respectively as “Tamil Jains” and “Tulu Jains”.

Kentucky, USA (CHAKRA) – Interfaith religion supporters recently denounced acts of vandalism on a Buddhist temple in Louisville, Kentucky.  A local Buddhist temple was vandalized by culprits wanting to spread hatred and fear among the Buddhists in the area.  These acts are counter to the areas efforts to build acceptance and religious tolerance among the community.

The sign on the Phuoc Hau Temple on Old Third Street Road was vandalized with spray paint scribbling Buddha was “in hell” and “Jesus lives” spray painted on walkway leading to the temple.

The Louisville Metro Police are scrutinizing the situation but no leads have been made yet.  An anonymous tip line has been set up for community members to report to if they have seen anything related to the incident.

Terry Taylor, executive director of the group Interfaith Paths to Peace said the act was “despicable” and that regardless of the religion involved, such acts should not go unnoticed.  He also stated that this incident should not be concluded as an act of Christianity but rather of an individual who has a misunderstanding of what the true meaning of religion is all about.  He concluded his statement saying that this incident results in a bad reputation for the city which prides itself in being one that supports multiculturalism and acceptance of all cultures and religions.

Nina Nguyen, a volunteer at the majority Vietnamese temple said that the temple has been vandalized several times in the past and that higher security measures have been taken since to protect the large outdoor Buddha statues which were collapsed in the past.

In hopes of the vandalism stopping, the temple leader had not yet called the police, Nguyen said.

However, “It gets to the point where somebody needs to voice their concerns,” she said.

She also said that some American-born residents came to help clean up the mess with paint remover, after seeing the mess in the news.  A lot of the graffiti was cleaned up with their help.

Rev. Marian McClure Taylor, executive director of the Kentucky Council of Churches openly denounced the act.

She stated, “It’s a horrifying kind of thing because it can create an environment of gloom and a sense of not being welcome.”

“I’m grateful to discover the folks who have suffered this abuse understand clearly this is not representative of Christianity in any way.”

Many Vietnamese and other immigrant Buddhists came to the United States to escape intolerance in their home countries so they really cherish their religious freedom in this country said Thich Hang Dat, leader of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Summit Monastery in Harrison County in Indiana.

Mississauga, Canada (CHAKRA) – An important leader and pioneer of the Hindu religion, Pundit Jankie Persad Sharma has died.  He was a prominent leader for Hindus in both Trinidad an Tabago and Canada.  He was the one to start celebrating Diwali in Trinidad in addition to building temples, performing wedding ceremonies as well as taking trips to India.

He was 80 years old and settled in Canada in 1989 after many Trinidadians requested for him to live there.  He lived in Mississauga and passed away on Thursday, March 1.  A funeral with many attendees was held for him a few days later.

Sharma’s father, originally from the state of Madhya Pradesh, came to Trinidad in 1910 with his 12 year old son.  Once in Trinidad, Sharma’s father became a certified priest and conducted many religious ceremonies.  He had eight children of whom Sharma was the eldest.  Sharma along with two of his younger brothers followed his dad’s footsteps and also pursued becoming priests.

Sharma was conducting his own public prayers and rituals by 1944.  He married a woman named Badewattee Persad in 1962 and they had six children altogether.

He had begun to create temples by 1971 in Matilda, Princes Town, Barrackpore and Rio Claro of which one is the well known Moruga temple in Matilda.

Boodram Ramoutar, a close friend of Sharma said, “His family fully understood and supported his role as a pundit and community leader with little time for all else. One special aspect was that he was not driven by material rewards, and treated rich, poor, man, woman, child, young and old with empathy and respect. In Trinidad alone, he had officiated at 4,000 weddings and become the guru of over 5,000 godchildren after baptising them as Hindus. It is fair to say that Trinidad has become richer in Hindu traditions, culture, and spirituality by the presence and teachings of Pundit Jankie Persad Sharma.”

For the diaspora, Sharma organized the first tour to India in 1983 because many Trinidadians were more interested in their roots and where they came from due to listening to radio programmes as well as from watching movies associated with their cultural past.

His initiatives such as his visits to India increased the demand of people wanting to learn more about their ancestors, their religious leaders and temples. The Sathya Sai Baba following was one such example.  He became so respected by crowds as well as a charismatic leader that Sathya Sai Baba himself requested to meet him and talk privately as well as give blessings to all Trinidadians that he represented.

Sharma was asked to address the opening at the first Diwali Nagar celebration in 1986 in Chaguanas.  Hindu awareness was growing and thus this event since then became an annual function which not only drew Hindus but also people of other faiths who just wished to experience the auspicious occasion of Diwali.

Thereafter, on the island, every Hindu celebration began to be celebrated with high respect and grandeur.

Most Trinidadians who moved to Canada, Britain and the United States starting in the 1970’s and onwards all called Sharma to perform their religious ceremonies such as weddings, house warming’s and other related religious events that required blessings from a respected elder.  Due to this increase and demand for him, Sharma and his family moved to Canada thereafter to settle in the province of Ontario.

In Canada, he started the Satya Jyoti Cultural Sabha while becoming more prevalent to Canadian Hindus at the same time, marking a presence of Hinduism in the Canadian society.

All levels of government in Canada praised and honoured him with certificates and recommendations for his service to the Mississauga and Canadian community as a whole.  Pundit Jankie Persad Sharma had become Canada’s first swami and was also known as Swami Atmananda Maharaj Ji.

London, UK (CHAKRA) – It has been a year after the arson attack in east London, on a Sikh temple.  A trustee has said that the Sikh community is very disappointed with the level of police inquiry.

The Gurdwara Sikh Sangat, a Grade II listed building in Harley Grove, Bow, was put on fire last March destroying not only the temple but also several Sikh holy books.

Despite a 50 000 pound reward, people in the community such as Jagmohan Singh said they are “very disappointed” that the police have not made any related arrests.

Police have said that an extensive amount of inquiries have been carried out.

The roof collapsed and 75% of the building was burnt but the temple continued to function in some rooms at the back of the building while the rest was restored at a cost of 200 000 pounds.

Mr Singh said, “Today is a remembrance day and at the same time it is a celebration as despite the attack we are holding worship inside the premises,”

“We are very disappointed with the investigation. Nobody has been apprehended and that is more disappointing than having to provide services from a constrained space.”

In response to the disappointment the police at Tower Hamlets Borough Police said that everything that can be done is being done and every possible line of inquiry is being pursued.

“The investigation team is in regular contact with the temple committee and liaise with our independent advisory group, whilst providing updates both locally and nationally to the Federation of Sikh Organisations UK.”

The Sikh community plans to approach English Heritage for grants in addition to appealing within the UK and abroad to raise 2.5m pounds to rebuild the whole temple.

Buddhists are constantly attacked in Majority-Muslim Bangladesh

Bangladesh (CHAKRA) – A human rights group in New Delhi has requested UN intervention after attacks on tribal areas in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh.

“The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) has demanded the intervention of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) Navi Pillay to ask Bangladesh government to take appropriate action on the burning of tribal buddhist villages and indiscriminate killing of tribals by the Bangladesh Army and illegal settlers Saturday,” said director of ACHR, Suhas Chakma in a statement.

Newspapers and media companies in Bangladesh have reported that the authorities have deployed soldiers after over 100 houses in a village in addition to a Christian church, a Buddhist temple as well as an office of a UN-funded project were set on fire in Bagaichhari sub-district under CHT Saturday.

A sacred statue was damaged and another stolen at the Banani Buddhist Monastery.

Six people, all Buddhists have been killed by a mob of Muslim settlers in the midst of the attacks according to people in the Chakma tribes.

“This attack on the indigenous buddhist  people shows that the government of Bangladesh has failed to change its policy of indiscriminate killings of tribals and minorities win order to occupy their lands and implant more illegal plains settlers instead of implementing the Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord of 1997,” stated a Chakma tribal representative.

There has been many reported attacks on Buddhist and Hindu tribal villages since 1997 in Bangladesh which have now become occupied by Muslim villagers and landowners. Many critics call this a genocide against non-muslim minorities by neighboring muslim villages and the Islamic Bangladeshi government.

A Truck destroys Barthi Tara Kali Hindu Temple in Gouranadi, Bangladesh

 Gouranadi, Bangladesh (CHAKRA) –  During the late hours of February 10th 2010  a heavy loaded truck suddenly hit the boundary of a historic 200 year old. In this destructive accident, a notable portion of the historic Hindu temple was demolished. 

Afther the Dhaka metor Da-11-1896 suddenly hit the boundary of the holy temple and demolished the historic hindu temple the local police came and took the truck which occured 4 hours after the actual accident. 

The local Hindu devotees expressed their great shock on this accident while some people shared that this may be a planned attack on the temple since in the last few months hindus in the area were given numerous threats by extremist Islamic groups instructing them to shut down their ‘kafir’ (a word used to reference non-muslims in a negative context) temples.  

The Hindu community is repetively ignored in muslim-majority Bangladesh and therefore weekly occurences of hindu and buddhist temples being destroyed and attacked are rarely filed by the police or covered by the media, even at times when extremist Islamic groups have announced responsibility.

By Karishma Patel

A Sikh Gurdwara located in Toronto

Guelph, Ontario (CHAKRA) – A southside domed Sikh temple has caused a hostile receptiveness by residents of a rapidly growing upscale residential neighbourhood.  A public planning meeting is where the temple plans were discussed among city staff.

“It’s a huge change for all of us. I’m against that building — period,” Monica Paredes said.  Many of the audience applauded loudly at the Salvation Army Citadel.

The Guelph Sikh Society is applying for permission to construct a 2 ½-storey, 18,000-square-foot, multi-domed temple with a holding capacity of 400 worshippers at a time.  A parking lot for 169 vehicles is also needed alongside the temple.  The greenfield land on Clair Road was originally slated for a nursing home.  Another public meeting will be held on March 1^st to further discuss the plans.

The city-sponsored meeting on Tuesday was scheduled to clear up any misunderstandings, but the bitterness in the large meeting room was apparent, including a suggestion made which requested for councillors that were for the temple project to be faced with consequences.

“Anybody supporting this will be making a career-limiting decision,” said Glenn Carducci.  He publicized that he recently created an anti-temple website (www.stop-the-temple.info), whose group mailed flyers to 2,469 homes around the area of the temple site.  The group also circulated a petition during the meeting to oppose the construction plans.

Carducci also said that the temple was too big for the neighbourhood, parking is not feasible, and that the area is better-suited for a form of small-institutional use.  He stated that there should be better areas is the city for which the temple is suited.

Carducci stated that opposition for the temple building has grown because of the website.

“We have a lot of volunteers now.”

Other members who were part of the audience at the meeting kept stressing that the temple would not fit in with the neighbourhood, and only dominate the neighbourhood instead.

“I think the biggest problem is people don’t really understand how we operate,” Guelph Sikh Society vice-president Dr. Ravi Rai told them.  The not-so-large sized temple will only be used on Sundays and some Saturdays mainly for worshipping and occasionally for other society events.

He also stated that the temple would be open for use to the community and neighbourhood as a community centre at other times, just like some Christian churches in the neighbourhood.

However, audience member Stacy Cooper said that residents pay taxes to follow the bylaws, and the temple proposal does not follow the official plan.  She also stressed that the road capacity would be taken up by the temple, while contributing no taxes to the city.

“It’s a sore point for a lot of us,” she said.

Planning regulations do allow for changes, provided that they meet general planning guidelines, said Katie Nasswetter, city senior development planner.

“Planning documents are not static,” Nasswetter said.

However, Scott Hannah, manager of development and parks noted that the planning process in place calls for more public input and staff recommendations in the future before the fate of the site is declared. There is an appeal process as well which can be made to the Ontario Municipal Board, he said.

“The purpose tonight is to share information with the community,” a former City Councillor, Cathy Downer said.  She was the meeting moderator for the night.

A man in the audience wanted to know exactly why Sikhs preferred to have their temple built specifically on the Clair Road site.

“The Sikh community has been looking for sites … a number of sites,” Sikh Society lawyer John Valeriote responded.

Carducci said that the temple would damage sewers and other city services.

“There isn’t an issue with capacity of the sewers,” Hannah said, noting the in the following few days, the services would be examined by staff.

Carducci predicted that the site will not be granted for the temple because neighbourhood roads will prove inadequate.  Other people at the meeting raised questions about the aesthetic appeal of the area if a dome shaped temple was put in.  They felt that it would not go well with the urban, modern look of the neighbourhood.  Others were concerned about whether only local Sikhs would attend the temple, or if Sikhs from other areas would come as well.

Valeriote said ultimately a temple is no different to a community than a church.