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Sri Ranganatha temple - Part 1 - Recent experience in India

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • September 21, 1999 


Dear bAgawathAs,

I am pained to see the discussions taking a wide turn around.
I was the one who posted it in this net.   Hence  I  need  to
reply with my  comments  as  well. Many of us here in US live
very  friendly among both kalais. Though we may wish the kind
of unity in temple worship, it is only possible when such  is
the thiru uLLam  conveyed  to  us   from our various AchAryAs.
I have a tremendous respect for thenAchAryA sampradhAyam  and
dwell very extensively in many of the vyAkyAnams rendered  by
poorvAvchAryAs. During my recent  trip  adiyEn  met  with Sri
Putthur swAmi and spent some time discussing hot subjects. In
fact Sri putthur  swami mentioned that he  respect  many from
vadakalai sampradAyam and emphazised that one should strictly
follow  their  kalai's  sampradhAyam.  Similarly,  I   highly
recommend that all our friends must visit HH Srimadh  Azhgiya
Singar and Sri Andavan and other yahtis.

There are many temples in India that are need of funds. It is
indeed true that "perumALai  picchai edukka vaithu viduvArkaL
pOla uLLathu nilamai". ie., The situation is such  that  they
may make perumAL to even beg for the daily offerings". My own
account  of  thiru kudanthai experience is such that I poured
my heart and soul in collecting that 4.5 laks rupees.  But  I
found that it was a mere fraction of what was spent  for  the
entire  samprOkshanam.  In  India almost  every temple need a
financial  support  one  way  or the other. These temples had
several mAnyams from the  various kingdoms, and have hundreds
of acres of lands that legally belong to them even today. The
lessee is not honest in many  cases resulting in very minimal
returns from these lands.

There are 80 &  odd of the 108 divya desams situated in Tamil
nAdu  and almost all of them are un der the purview of HR and
CE.  Recently Tamil Nadu Government  considered a proposal to
sell all these lands to the lessee  themselves at the  market
rate and  deposit the  monies in FD so  that  the temple will
continue  to  get money as interest. After facing many strong
criticisms  from  many  this plan didnot take off. One of the
major flaw in this was that the lands if sold on today's book
value  will  yield  some money.  And  that  money  will   not
appreciate to the same extent the land value will.

Srimadh Azhagiya Singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri Ranganathan thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sampath Rengarajan

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