Tirupati: A three-day national level Hindu dharma prachar conclave hosted by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, management trust of one of the most popular and richest Hindu shrines in the world, began Saturday in the temple town of Andhra Pradesh.
Sri Venkateshwara Dharmika Sadas, the conference, is being attended by peethadhipathis (seers/pontiffs) from across the country “to aid propagation of the Hindu faith while stemming religious conversions.”
The various discussions these religious heads would take part in, senior officials told ThePrint, are to guide the Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad of TTD in leading a “spiritual movement, sustaining the values of Hindu Sanatana Dharma for the future generations.”
The mega event comes following the consecration of Lord Rama’s idol, in the newly built Ayodhya temple, in an election year. Andhra Pradesh elections are also due in April, along with the Lok Sabha polls.
TTD Trust Board chairman Bhumana Karunakara Reddy, however, said the “conclave is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the Sanatana Dharma.”
Bhumana said the TTD mulled the three-day dharmika sadas aiming to further spread the values embedded in “our great epics, heritage, culture and religious texts of Hindu Dharma among the public especially the younger generation.”
“So far about 60 peetadhipathis have given their consent for participation. The discourses, suggestions of seers would greatly help in expanding our dharmic activities, and propagation of Hindu faith in every village and town,” Bhumana said.
The sadas is disconnected from politics, elections, analysts say, however adding it could prove useful for the YSR Congress Party establishment to project a pro-Hindu face as a counter to the opposition’s criticism of “Christian CM” when it comes to Tirupati temple affairs.
While the Andhra Pradesh BJP alleges “state government sponsored conversions into Christianity under CM Jagan Mohan Reddy”, the TDP, the Janasena party too have on various occasions blamed “the YSRCP leadership’s purposeful disregard towards Hindu temples and traditions” for mismanagements, lapses, “sacrilegious acts” reported from across the state.
While attacking Jagan for the spate of incidents like chariot burnings, defacing of idols, and break-ins at various Hindu temples especially in his first two years rule, the opposition parties have also accused “the non-believer CM of refusing to abide by a TTD rule that requires non-Hindus to declare their faith in Lord Venkateshwara before entering the hallowed sanctum.”
CM Jagan has been visiting the hill temple, especially during the Brahmotsavams (annual 10-day celestial event in September-October), to offer silk garments to the almighty on behalf of the state government. Former CM Chandrababu Naidu points that Jagan never brings his wife along, in contravention of temple customs, “wilfully hurting the Hindu devout sentiments.”
“I don’t think the conclave is being held for or would specially help Jagan with some Hindu votes, but if they want to, the YSRCP can always show it as proof of Jagan’s pro-Hindu stance,” political analyst Prof D.A.R Subrahmanyam tells ThePrint
The famed Lord Venkateshwara temple on the Tirumala hill and several other TTD temples at Tirupati and other places like Chennai, Hyderabad, Amaravati, Vizag and Jammu are administered by a governing body known as trust board.
However, the board itself is appointed, for a two-year term, by the Andhra Pradesh government through its orders (after CM’s approval/nomination of names).
Bhumana, the Tirupati YSRCP MLA, took over as chairman last year, after Y.V. Subba Reddy, a former MP and key YSRCP leader, helmed the TTD for four years.
Bhumana, who was the TTD chairman earlier too from 2006 to 2008, says such conclaves were held earlier too.
“TTD has been organising a wide range of spiritual programmes through its Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad (HDPP). Unique programems like Dalita Govindam, Kalyanamastu helped in preventing religious conversions in the remote tribal and other backward areas. Tirumala, the spiritual capital, is now hosting the sadas to lead yet another spiritual movement across the country to strengthen our Sanatana Dharma, aided by the valuable suggestions of the great pontiffs and seers,” said Bhumana.
The TTD board has recently approved a budget of Rs 5,141 crore for the 2024-25 financial year, estimating Rs 1,611 crore in form of donations from devotees in the hundi inside the temple.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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