Amidst the continued attacks on Hindu temples in Andhra Pradesh, renowned seer Shri Vishvaprasanna Teertha Swamiji, the holy seer of Pejavara Mutt, Udupi, has written a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his attention over the issue. The seer has sought the home minister’s intervention in the attacks on temples in Andhra Pradesh, especially the shocking desecration of 400-year-old Lord Ram idol in the Ramatheerthan of Vizianagaram district.
In his letter, the Hindu seer has expressed his disappointment over the recent attacks on Hindu temples in Andhra Pradesh and pointed out that more than 120 temples have been attacked in the state over the last one and half years.
He said that the recent desecration of Hindu temples have enraged the entire Hindu community and added that the malicious acts of temple desecration appear to be a premeditated plan.
“The recent desecration of Lord Ram at the ancient Sita Lakshmana Kondandarama temple on the Bodikonda hillock in Ramatheerthan of Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, has enraged the entire Hindu community. As you are aware, miscreants broke open the historic temple and desecrated the 400-year-old Ram idol in the sanctum sanctorum, The severed portion of the idol was later retrieved from the nearby temple pond,” he wrote in his letter to Home Minister.
Shri Pejavara Swamiji also added that the horrific incident took place about 20 days ago but the Andhra Pradesh government has done precious little to apprehend the miscreants. The state government’s indifference in dealing with the issue is quite different, the seer added in his letter.
Pejavara Mutt is one of the Ashta Mathas of Udupi, which was built by Sri Adhokshaja Tirtha, who was a direct disciple of Sri Madhvacharya, the founder of the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. Pejavara Mutt is one of the most influential mutts in the country.
Temple attacks are not a stray incident, affects whole Hindu community: Pejavara Shri writes letter to Home Minister
Asserting that the attack on the Ramatheertham temple is not a stray incident, the spiritual leader highlighted how Andhra Pradesh has been witnessing a series of spiteful incidents of temple vandalism for the past one and half years.
Citing a few incidents of temple vandalism in Andhra Pradesh, the seer wrote, “The gutting of temple chariots in Bitragunta (Nellore) in February, Antarvedi (East Godavari) in September, and desecration of several Hindu idols at Pithrapuram in January are some of the prominent malicious acts reported last year. In the past one and half years, as many as 120 attacks have taken place on temples. These attacks appear to be the premeditated plan”.
He continued, “Miscreants as it appears, are resorting to evil acts because of inaction by the state government. No serious action was taken to trace and arrest the people behind the barbaric incidents of temple vandalism. the state administration has been unresponsive to the call and appeal of the Hindu community to protect the temple.”
Urging the center to act on the attacks, the Hindu seer that this is a sensitive issue affecting the whole Hindu community. “Since the state government is not taking any decisive action to prevent attacks on temples and bring the culprits to the book, I urge you to intervene in the issue, especially attack against the Ramatheertham temple, and take stern action those indulging in these vicious acts,” said Sri Vishvaprasanna Teertha Swamiji, the holy seer of Pejavara Mutt, Udupi.
Seer Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamy had decided to take yatras over continued attacks on temples in the state
Earlier, renowned Hindu spiritual leader Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamy has said that he would undertake a yatra from January 17 to temples that were vandalized in the recent past. Seer Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamy has decided to start a yatra to seek protection for Hindu religious places.
The seer had expressed his disappointment over the continued attacks on temples and mentioned that over 50 temples have faced attacks in recent months. He also said that in a temple in Singarayakonda, the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy idol was damaged and asked authorities to ensure that there will be no such attacks in the coming days.
He also demanded strict action against miscreants who vandalised the temples and sought a committee of intelligence department officials to conduct a transparent inquiry. The seer said he will not remain silent when there is a threat to the very existence of temples.
A series of temple attacks in Andhra Pradesh
Attacks on Hindus and its temples in the state of Andhra Pradesh are continuously increasing. In a short span, several temples have been reportedly vandalized by the miscreants. From destroying idols to burning century-old chariots, a lot has happened in Andhra Pradesh.
On December 30, in another case of temple vandalization in Andhra Pradesh, the miscreants had targeted the famous Ramatheertham in Vizianagaram district and desecrated a 400-year-old idol of Bhagwan Ram. The priest had found that the idol of Bhagwan Ram was desecrated by unknown assailants when he reached the ancient Sita Lakshmana Kodandarama temple on the Bodikonda hillock in Ramatheertham. The idol was ‘beheaded’ and broken to pieces, the pieces were thrown into a nearby pond.
400 years Old Ramatheertham Temple Near Nellimarla, Vizianagaram in #AndhraPradesh.
— 𝕵𝖊𝖊𝖛𝖆𝖓 𝕻𝖆𝖙𝖓𝖆𝖎𝖐 (@JeevanPatnaik2) January 3, 2021
The temple has an ancient idol of Lord Ram which was beheaded by miscreants on Tuesday morning.
Very sad. It’s time for every Hindu to unite. #SaveHinduTemples #Ramatheertham pic.twitter.com/rCLVuaOzxc
Just a few days after Ramatheertham incident, the idol of Goddess Sita was found vandalised near Pandit Nehru bus stop in the Sitaram Temple in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. The incident came to light days after idols of Lord Subrahmanya and Shri Ram were similarly found damaged in the state.
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— Sunil Deodhar (@Sunil_Deodhar) January 3, 2021
Despite y’day drama by @YSRCParty & @JaiTDP Netas
attacks on temples continue.
After #LordRamaidol, 40yr old Maa Sita Devi idol vandalised in Vijayawada today.
Size/type/age of idol is immaterial.
But why is it happening only with Hindus?#SaveTemplesInAndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/nAZUvPjQaY
On January 1, a Lord Subrahmanya murti in Lord Vigneshwara temple was found desecrated in the Rajahmundry district. The priest of the Vigneshwara temple found the murti of Lord Subrahmanya desecrated with two severed limbs of the murti lying on the ground.
Not just it, there have been several attacks on temples in Andhra Pradesh over the last few years. Last year alone, more than five temples have been vandalized and burnt down by miscreants. The YSRCP government has been facing severe criticism for failing to prevent attacks on Hindu temples.
