Dharma will protect those who protect it!

An old Tamil film song goes, “Dharmam Thalai Kaakkum; Thakka Samayathil Uyir Kaakkum; Kooda Irunthu Kuzhi Pariththaalum Koduththathu Kaaththu Nirkum…” or “Dharma will protect head; Dharma will protect life at the time of threat; Dharma will protect even when acquaintances turn adversaries…”

In this vein, this column presents a true story of how Dharma protected a few individuals who embarked on a Dharmic mission and successfully accomplished it despite attempts of sabotage by friends turned saboteurs. This is a real story of Dharma prevailing ultimately.  

Threats looming over Tamil Nadu

While Christian, Islamic and Communist aggression is common to all states across India, Tamil Nadu is unique with the additional threat of Atheism, propagated vehemently by the Dravidian parties for more than six decades. Sadly and unfortunately these anti-Hindu forces have been in power since 1967 and Atheism has been a state-sponsored policy since then. Atheism for these Dravidian racists is anti-Hinduism.

The saddest part of the 43 year Dravidian regime is its stranglehold over the Temples, which have been exploited in all possible ways with the sole intention of making money. The temples have become mere commercial enterprises, losing their sanctity in the process. Now, it is believed that the government is contemplating a takeover of even Mutts and Jeeva Samaadhis.   

As these selfish power-mongers appease the minorities to stay in power, the minorities in turn use them to de-Hinduise and establish a Christian State or a Dar-ul-Islam. While both the Abrahamic religions have their own respective political agendas, they join hands with the Dravidian Parties, forming an unholy nexus and working to achieve their common agenda of de-Hinduising this state.

This unholy nexus has taken control of powerful mass-media like Cinema, Press and Television, through which it works round the clock to degrade Hindu culture, religion and tradition. This forms a significant part of their mission to de-Hinduise the state. Another important aspect is that the Christian and Islamic organisations capture territories and trades with the connivance of the corrupt bureaucracy and simultaneously build their worship places, religious institutions and commercial establishments completely disproportionate to their actual population. These two aspects facilitate the progression of religious conversions, which is the focal point of their mission.

All the above is made possible because of the flow of astronomical amounts of foreign funds to their religious organizations and NGOs owned by them. The government doesn’t have a proper mechanism to control or screen the flow of foreign funds and no political party has so far hinted at bringing a stringent mechanism. The Home Ministry has officially recorded that Tamil Nadu gets the maximum of foreign funds, which help both Islam and Christianity to expand a lot in territory as well as numbers.

Heralding the launch of Hindu Dharma Protection Movement

In this backdrop, some of us met to discuss matters and decided to approach the Peethathipathis and Mathathipathis of Tamil Nadu and submit our prarthanas to them. Some six months ago, we requested an audience with Pujya Periyava Sri Kanchi Sankaracharya Swamigal, to confer about the threats looming large over the state. We submitted our prarthana seeking his guidance and blessing to convene a conference of Tamil Nadu-based Mathathipathis, to which he readily agreed and blessed us.

Encouraged by His Holiness’ blessings, we started meeting heads of major Vaishnavite Mathams (Ahobila Mutt Jeer, Andavan Swamikal, Vanamamalai Jeer, Sri Embar Jeer, Sri Ramanuja Jeer…) and Shivite Adheenams (Thiruvavaduthurai, Thiruppananthal, Dharmapuram, Thondaimandalam …) and many others, who gave us audience and kindly listened to our explanations about the threats faced by the Hindus of Tamil Nadu.

We marked down three important topics, namely, (i) Stopping Religious Conversions, (ii) Stopping the flow of foreign funds and (iii) Forming an Autonomous Board to administer all Hindu temples and religious institutions, as the agenda of the proposed meet. All the Acharyas blessed us, assured support and cooperation, and agreed in principle to participate in the conference, provided the date is convenient, for a meaningful discussion.

We met Sri A.M. Rajagopalan, editor, “Kumudam Jothidam” a weekly magazine on astrology, which focuses on religious issues. He is a fiery writer and his editorials on Christian and Islamic aggressions are famous and popular. He has a huge fan following throughout the state for both his writing and astrological predictions. When he told us several temple-related issues needed to be solved in numerous places across the state, we discussed and decided to select such places to organize the meet, so that the local issue could be projected in front while the above-mentioned three important points could be incorporated to educate the masses who would enthusiastically participate in the interest of the local issue.

Sri AMR agreed to guide us and suggested we organize an “Anti-conversion March” at Namakkal, close to Kolli Hills where rampant conversion is going on. Hence we toured Salem and Namakkal districts for a survey and found that the place was not conducive for conducting a march and conference. During darshan at the famous Anchaneyar Temple at Namakkal, the thought of having the meet at Dindigul struck all of us simultaneously and immediately and unanimously we decided to go to Dindigul straight from there for a survey.

We recalled Sri AMR telling us about the Padmagiri Hill and the Hill-temple which stands without deities. The presiding deities (Sri Padmagiriswarar and Abirami Ambal) were removed some 200 years ago when Tipu Sultan plundered the temples in Dindigul. Those deities have been installed at Sri Kalahastheeswarar Temple downhill and worshipped for the past 200 years. Having two sets of presiding deities (Mulavars) in a same temple is not good and in fact is against Agama Sastra.

Hence it is important to take back the presiding deities to the Hill-Temple and install them in their respective sanctum sanctorum with consecration conducted at the earliest, worship restored, and Girivalam (circumambulation of the hill) started. As the hill-temple is under the control of the ASI, efforts have to be taken to convince the department and get government permission to return the deities to their original abode atop the hillock.

Surveying the Girivalam path around the hill, we found that the entire stretch of three kilometers was completely occupied by Christian churches and Christian cemeteries at every 30 feet. Thus it is all the more imperative that the temple is immediately restored, failing which Christians will occupy the hill-top and build a church there, as they have done in Achirupakkam Hills near Melmaruvathur Adi Parasakthi Temple. Members (industrialists and merchants) of the Dindigul Chamber of Commerce readily agreed to host the Mathathipathis and take care of the entire expenses in conducting the march (Girivalam) and public meeting. 

Dindigul has become the epicenter of Christian and Islamic aggression and scores of Hindu activists have lost their lives there; property loss has also been heavy in the past decades. Islamic terrorist organizations like Al Umma and Manitha Neethi Paasarai have a strong base and presence here, and Christian conversion has been rampant due to the presence of an array of Christian NGOs. Sadly the district has not had the fortune of having a Matham, Adheenam or Ashram on its soil, and the local populace having no religious leadership to go to for solace and guidance have become almost dhimmis, fearing the Christian and Islamic fundamentalists. As they were yearning for divine intervention, the news of a conference of Acharyas was a pleasant surprise.

Having decided on Dindigul, we made another round of visits to the major Mathathipathis and finalized 18 April as the date of the event after discussing the same with them. As the event has to be organized under proper auspices, we chose two names namely, “Hindu Dharma Paadukaappu Iyakkam” (Hindu Dharma Protection Movement) and “Thirukoyil Bakthar Peravai” (Temple Bakthas Forum) and Pujya Periyava Sri Kanchi Acharya selected the former. We drafted a detailed letter in Tamil addressed to the Acharyas and sent it to all of them seeking their blessings and requesting them to attend the meet at Dindigul.

The major Mathathipathis who confirmed their attendance, graciously permitted us to put their names on the invitation card. As per the request made by members of the Dindigul Chamber of Commerce, the invitation was printed and sent in the name of “Then Thirukkailaayam Padmagiri Vazhipaattukkuzhu” (South Kailash Padmagiri Worshippers Forum) and “Thrukovil Paraamarippu Kuzhu” (Temple Maintenance Committee). We made yet another visit to all the major Mathams and personally handed over the invitation cards and got their blessings.

By the grace of God and Blessings of Revered Acharyas, we accomplished our mission successfully.

(To be concluded…)

The writer is a senior journalist; he lives in Chennai