Boycott call against Swaminarayan sect amid row over contentious Hanuman murals at Botad temple
The dispute over Lord Hanuman depicted sitting at the feet of Lord Swaminarayan on the walls of the pedestal of a giant statue of Hanuman at Shree Kashtbhanjandev Hanumanji Mandir in Salangpur triggered widespread protests by Hindu religious leaders.
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Hindu leaders held a meeting and passed a resolution against the Swaminarayan sect at Lambe Narayan Ashram on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, on Sunday. (Express Photo by Nirmal Harindran) Even as the saints at Shree Kashtbhanjandev Hanumanji Mandir in Salangpur, Botad district, reportedly assured the removal of contentious murals during a closed-door meeting with the seers of Sanatan Dharm on Sunday and sought time of two days, Hindu religious leaders have called for a boycott of Swaminarayan sect by passing 11 resolutions during another meeting in Ahmedabad Sunday.
The dispute over Lord Hanuman depicted sitting at the feet of Lord Swaminarayan on the walls of the pedestal of a giant statue of Hanuman at Shree Kashtbhanjandev Hanumanji Mandir in Salangpur triggered widespread protests by Hindu religious leaders.
The statue was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in April. “They (saints of the Swaminarayan sect at the temple) have sought two days’ time as we have been assured that the murals will be removed,” Mahamandleshwar Bharti Bapu, one of the religious leaders who attended the meeting of Sanatan Dharm seers held at Sri Lambe Narayan Ashram, Sanand, in Ahmedabad district, told The Indian Express.
The meeting was held Sunday under the chairmanship of Dr Jyotirnath Bapu and in the presence of over 300 religious seers and representatives of religious organisations of the Ahmedabad district.Meanwhile, sources revealed there was another round of “urgent” closed-door meeting of Swaminarayan sect leaders at the temple late Sunday evening.
“We have scheduled another meeting in Limbdi (Surendranagar) on Tuesday of saints from across the state to discuss the issue and plan future course of action,” Mahamandleshwar Bharti Bapu added.Among the eleven resolutions passed against the Swaminarayan sect, Mahamandleshwar Bharti Bapu said that they have also included an appeal to the state government that “there is an urgent need to take note of the protests and give proper directions to the Swaminarayan sect because it is the responsibility of the government of Gujarat and the government of India to see that this religious movement does not spread from Gujarat to the whole of India”.
“Saints of the Swaminarayan sect should never be invited to any temples or ashrams of Sanatan Dharm and saints of Sanatan Dharm to not accept their invitation to any temple of Swaminarayan sect or any other place of theirs. If they (Swaminarayan Sect saints) happen to share the stage, mataji or sadhvis of any traditions of Sanatan Dharm should not be insulted by asking to get off from the stage, one of the resolutions passed during Sunday meeting stated.
“If the saints of the Swaminarayan sect are holding positions in any organisation in the name of Sanatan Dharm, they should be dismissed from that position immediately, to vacate the place of Sanatan dharma occupied by the saints of Swaminarayan and return it to the government of India or to hand it over to the Sanatan Dharm institution,” the resolutions underlined.
Appealing to the government of India to pass a law to punish those who misuse the literature of Sanatan Dharm, devotees of the Swaminarayan Sect who consider Sahajananda Swami as their “Ishtadeva” (the favoured divinity) should not install the gods and goddesses of Sanatan Dharma at any place in the Swaminarayan temple, the meeting resolved.
“Saints or devotees of the Swaminarayan sect should never mention the gods and goddesses of Sanatan Dharm anywhere in the discourse, saints of the Swaminarayan sect should not recite the scriptures of Sanatan Dharm like Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapurana, Ramcharitmanas and Hanumant Katha or perform the rituals of Sanatan Dharm, permanent removal of all passages in the scriptures of the Swaminarayan sect where an attempt has been made to downplay the gods and goddesses of Sanatan Dharm,” the resolutions included.
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