Hindu Models of Temple Management
Hindu temples are not free. But they should be.
A free Bhāratavarṣa, governed by the eternal and timeless principles of Sanātana Dharma should have its core cultural institutions under the control of free Hindu society. Today this is not the case. In many states of India, most Hindu temples are controlled by the secular Indian State and not by Hindu society. As a result, most of the money donated by Hindus to Hindu temples is not used for Hindu purposes or Hindu temples. This state of affairs has to change. It is the duty of Hindu society to Free Hindu temples.
To achieve this goal, Indian State policy should move towards a point where Hindu temples are given back to the Hindu community. But for the Indian State to do its part, Hindu society also needs to present case studies of Hindu temples completely administered and managed successfully by the Hindu community. This will provide the foundational research work, helping right minded policy makers to achieve the goal of freeing Hindu temples.
Bṛhat aims to advance this policy goal via evidence based research. Therefore, we are launching the project - Hindu Models of Temple Management. In Phase - 1, we will undertake preliminary case studies of three great temple clusters across India - Goa, Kerala, and Ayodhya to compare and contrast government run temples versus Hindu community run temples.
For this, Brhat, needs your support.
We request our Hindu community to support this research and help build a strong case for civilizational revival.
You can support this project in any of 5 payment tiers. At the highest tier, you can support us with any amount equal or above ₹2,00,000
Support with the specific amount of your choice by selecting from the tiers shown here.
* - these are one time payments, and will not recur.
We are inspired by the great Hindu tradition where new challenges are met with great creative ingenuity on one hand and deep rigour and discipline on the other. Almost fifty years ago, Śrī Dharampal, countering the charge of Christian missionaries that Indians do not educate their own, did deep field work and research in three clusters of India, proving with copious data and rigorous research that Indians were a far more educated society than the British. We, at Bṛhat, are driven with a similar deep commitment to truth and service to Dharma, and aim to contribute rigorous research which will help push Indian policies towards freeing Hindu temples.
Bṛhat has been working towards raising awareness among Hindus through many initiatives. Our goal is to catalyze the coherence among the sacred, state, and society. One such initiative is Bṛhat Anveṣī, which involves temple immersion yatras. The goal is to enable individuals to appreciate the intrinsic value of our cultural inheritance. As they become aware of their stake in preserving this heritage, they are empowered to advocate for Hindu causes.
Another such initiative is Bṛhat Draṣṭā, where we run courses like Hindu Iconography to educate Hindu youth about Hindu sculpture, architecture and iconography and other courses on civilizational heroes such as Śrī Sita Ram Goel, Śrī Ram Swarup, Śrī Dharampal, who awakened Hindus to the forces that destroyed Hindu temples and the eco-systems around them.
A third such Bṛhat initiative is Nītividhāna, a civilizational public policy program to educate participants about the need for an Indic and culture compatible lens to policy along with recommendations on how to achieve them, the absence of which has largely contributed to the decay of the Hindu temple eco-system.
Now, we at Bṛhat, are taking one step forward in this series of spreading awareness about freeing Hindu temples by initiating a research project which aims to create foundational research which will feed into policies conducive to freeing Hindu temples. We are undertaking an in-depth study of the temple clusters in Goa and Kerala, as well as Ayodhya.
Goa
Very few know Goa for its temples, but the fact remains that Goa has some of the greatest temple ecosystems of Bhāratavarṣa.
During Portuguese rule, Goa suffered great destruction of its temples, its culture, and its heritage. Consequently, and in response to this, the Hindu Goans shifted entire kṣetras of theirs inland, into interior and safer parts of Goa, like Ponda, recreating the same sacred temple ecosystems.
Goa thus tells a story of the possible reclamation and rebuilding of our great heritage.
Kerala
Kerala's Hindu temples exude serenity, nestled amidst lush landscapes, with intricate architecture reflecting deep devotion.
The state is home to ancient temples, where rituals and traditions are an integral part of the community's daily life.
These temples, managed under government control, offer a working model for studying temple administration.
Ayodhya
Ayodhya, the ancient kṣetra, lives in the heart of every devout Hindu. For over 500 years, we fought to reclaim one of our most revered temples, Rāma janamabhūmi.
Yet, Ayodhya offers much more. The city is filled with numerous temples, both big and small, many of which are reconstructed on ancient sites and managed collectively by the Hindu community.
Through rigorous research, documentation, and raising awareness, we will highlight the integral role of Hindu temples as pillars of community cohesion, cultural preservation, and socio-economic empowerment.
The project goals are:
1. Authenticity: Produce case studies of temples which are administered and managed entirely by Hindu community, based upon extensive and data driven field research.
2. Unity: Decide the set of universal values which all Hindu temples and sampradayas share, by studying authoritative Hindu texts and tradition and also by consulting relevant sādhakas, arcakas and thinkers.
3. Diversity: Account for regional variations and nuances based upon kṣetrīya (regional) cultures and traditions to accommodate the diversity of Hindu society.
By amplifying the voices of concerned Hindus and engaging in constructive dialogue with policymakers, we can pave the way for alternative models of temple governance that are conducive to our culture.
The outcomes of this project will be:
1. To create preliminary reports based on extensive field research and provide consolidated field data publicly for further research.
2. To write policy papers based on our research findings which will argue the case for polices leading to free Hindu Temples.
3. To mobilize civil society through conferences, seminars, and advocacy.
4. To write accessible books for mass dissemination to sensitize and increase awareness about freeing Hindu Temples.