"The brutal animal sacrifices that are so shamelessly resorted to in the Kamakhya temple tarnishes the fair name of Hinduism." - Prakash Gogoi
I agree. The sadder part is that such a practice is considered 'normal' in the 21st century Assam (and other parts of India).
Of Temple Terror
The recent controversies of varied hues at the Kamakhya Temple is a clear manifestation of the rot that has afflicted our religious institutions. Visitors to the holy shrine of Kamakhya seldom come back with happy memories. No visitor can claim to have escaped the tricks of the peddlers of faith — the pandas; sort of terror! Far from preaching religiosity, these pandas are a personification of greed and ugliness. Blinded by lust for money, they have utter disregard for decency and decorum. Fleecing money from unsuspecting visitors is topmost on their agenda, and they do not hesitate to do it by any or every means. Sadly, this is how it has been for decades, and this is how it will continue to be if the society remains silent.
How long will the society remain silent? These pandas seem to have become a burden to the society. In the name of religion, they are blatantly patronizing all kinds of shady and nefarious activities. The brutal animal sacrifices that are so shamelessly resorted to in the Kamakhya temple tarnishes the fair name of Hinduism. By reducing the Goddess into a blood-thirsty deity, they have reduced Hinduism into a primitive faith not worth practising. The brutality of the animal sacrifice has no doubt killed the finer sensibilities of the ones who patronize it. Having stained their hands, they no longer remain human. The crucial question is: why is the society still silent? Is it because it is not that easy to fight this sort of a mafia? The economics of these sacrifices entails huge profits, which is shared by the members of the panda club. Their power is such that even the law-enforcing agencies prefer to remain silent, lest the 'religious' sensibilities should be offended. Are perverted religious sensibilities above morality?
It does not need much common sense to understand why the BSF jawans reacted the way they did some time back. Why should they or anybody else put up with the heckling of these pandas who are no more religious entities? It is perfectly within the rights of any citizen to act in self-defence. Day in and day out, visitors to this holy shrine suffer at the hands of the ruthless pandas. Enough is enough.
It is time the Kamakhya shrine was liberated from the clutches of these people. The administration of the temple ought to be given to a trust, much on lines of the Vaishnav Devi Temple Trust. Accountability and transparency ought to be the hallmark of the trust. People have the right to know what happens to their money and how well the holy shrine is kept.
It is everybody's responsibility to restore the glory of Goddess Kamakhya. A place made infamous for the barbaric practice of animal sacrifices cannot be the abode of the ever-loving mother Goddess. No Goddess would ever thirst for the blood of her own creation. People who indulge in such killings have no respect for life and ought to be treated with contempt.
Prakash Gogoi,
JP Nagar, Dibrugarh.
The recent controversies of varied hues at the Kamakhya Temple is a clear manifestation of the rot that has afflicted our religious institutions. Visitors to the holy shrine of Kamakhya seldom come back with happy memories. No visitor can claim to have escaped the tricks of the peddlers of faith — the pandas; sort of terror! Far from preaching religiosity, these pandas are a personification of greed and ugliness. Blinded by lust for money, they have utter disregard for decency and decorum. Fleecing money from unsuspecting visitors is topmost on their agenda, and they do not hesitate to do it by any or every means. Sadly, this is how it has been for decades, and this is how it will continue to be if the society remains silent.
How long will the society remain silent? These pandas seem to have become a burden to the society. In the name of religion, they are blatantly patronizing all kinds of shady and nefarious activities. The brutal animal sacrifices that are so shamelessly resorted to in the Kamakhya temple tarnishes the fair name of Hinduism. By reducing the Goddess into a blood-thirsty deity, they have reduced Hinduism into a primitive faith not worth practising. The brutality of the animal sacrifice has no doubt killed the finer sensibilities of the ones who patronize it. Having stained their hands, they no longer remain human. The crucial question is: why is the society still silent? Is it because it is not that easy to fight this sort of a mafia? The economics of these sacrifices entails huge profits, which is shared by the members of the panda club. Their power is such that even the law-enforcing agencies prefer to remain silent, lest the 'religious' sensibilities should be offended. Are perverted religious sensibilities above morality?
It does not need much common sense to understand why the BSF jawans reacted the way they did some time back. Why should they or anybody else put up with the heckling of these pandas who are no more religious entities? It is perfectly within the rights of any citizen to act in self-defence. Day in and day out, visitors to this holy shrine suffer at the hands of the ruthless pandas. Enough is enough.
It is time the Kamakhya shrine was liberated from the clutches of these people. The administration of the temple ought to be given to a trust, much on lines of the Vaishnav Devi Temple Trust. Accountability and transparency ought to be the hallmark of the trust. People have the right to know what happens to their money and how well the holy shrine is kept.
It is everybody's responsibility to restore the glory of Goddess Kamakhya. A place made infamous for the barbaric practice of animal sacrifices cannot be the abode of the ever-loving mother Goddess. No Goddess would ever thirst for the blood of her own creation. People who indulge in such killings have no respect for life and ought to be treated with contempt.
Prakash Gogoi,
JP Nagar, Dibrugarh.
_______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
