During my recent visit to Amritsar, Wagah, Jalandhar and Kapurthala, I have realized one thing that in the name of religion, Sikhs do a lot of good to the society. Golden temple has a nice Langar, which serves free, good quality, hygienic food round the clock to anybody and everybody.
Then during the summer months, almost all across the city Sikhs serve chilled rose water (which contains milk, sugar syrup, rose extracts and ice cold water).
Another interesting aspect of Sikh religion is that they encourage people from all regions and caste to worship in their temples. then the gurudwaras actually work to make life of people around better.
This made me ask one question. Temples like Tirupati, Vaishno Devi, Badrinath, Puri etc receive substantial funds. Where does all that money go?
PS: I still maintain my earlier stance on Puri
14 replies on “sardar and helping others”
well that funding goes into govt coffers as most profitable temples have been taken over by the state
which means the funds go into some politicians kitty via his charitable organisation
well as per the norms all the money collected has be used for the benefit of the worshipers. govt cannot arbitrarily transfer it to fund its own deficit.
Yes, even i was impressed by the ambiance of the Golden Temple. Everyone is treated equally there. Sikh or Non-Sikh, Men or women, old or young, everyone has to cover their head and are put in the same queue to the Harmandir sahib. i did not see anyone giving special privileges to Sikhs or any board anywhere saying Non-Sikhs are not allowed beyond this point. i really felt at peace there.
that said it is unfair to pick on any other religion and saying they should match the above or be gone. U have highlighted an example of one faith and there is another faith which forbids non-adherents from entering not just two of its holiest shrines but excludes them from both the entire cities themselves!
Well, perhaps they will reconsider those norms sometime in the future. but it has be done of their own volition and at their own pace. outsiders have the right to express their opinions but they should be fair and not expect age old traditions to be undone overnight.
hey Madhu… good to see you after a long long time.. i agree with your views
Mt experience at Thirupati was really bad. We went there and there and that 60 Rs ticket was not there for that day. They offered us 500 Rs ticket which was something related to newly married couple puja. we were like how can u offer us this ticket and finally we went in free darshana. but after waiting for 5 hours we could see god not even for 5 mins. i did not feel peace after that, totally exhausted and just felt is it worth coming here? i still feel going to 10 temples is better than going to tirupati
in siddhivinayak that was done
infact even a muslim leader was a part of the board and quit only when the news was leaked
madhu has a point
also sikhism was based on putting everyone on equal footing by the gurus
but the fact still is that certain people prefer that sect with that baba ram rahim – though i dont know exactly the cast equations in punjab.
@rash…
i agree the poor management, entrance/puja tickets and long queues take the religious spirit out of the darshan.
some people use political/official influence to get ahead of the line… this i feel is like cheating in the place of god…
@prax…
i had been to siddhivinayak, and must say amongst the large temples its one of the good ones… regarding Sikhs… i think it also has a kind of caste system… but thanks to the migration from Pakistan which offered people a chance to reinvent themselves, the rigidity of that has diminished.
@madhu…
Shirdi Sai Baba is also one of the temples that practice equality.
but I have also heard a lot of good stories of the Shirdi Sai Baba.. who himself was a muslim Saint, but almost all his followers were Hindu.
ankur i think Sai baba cannot be defined in one religion and his ideals were based on sufism and Advaita Vedanta. The way the people treat u at shirdi is not pleasant and things are as commercialized there as in any big temple they literally drag you away after a 3 second darshan.
He had reportedly stated to a close follower, Mhalsapati, that he has been born of Brahmin parents in the village of Pathri and had been entrusted into the care of a fakir in his infancy.[5] On another occasion, Baba reportedly said that the fakir’s wife had left him in the care of a Hindu guru, Venkusa of Selu, and that he had stayed with Venkusa for twelve years as his disciple.[6] This dichotomy has given rise to two major theories regarding Baba’s background, with the majority of writers supporting the Hindu background over the Islamic, while others combine both the theories (that Sai Baba was first brought up by a fakir and then by a guru). from the wiki
I think there are many Hindu organizations (Divine Life Society is one which comes to mind) that are doing good and serving the poor and those in need, as well as tacking the problems of the caste system. So, while what the Sikhs do in a gurudwara is admirable, it’s a little unfair to compare that to what happens in a temple. I believe people of all faiths help out in their own ways, even if the Hindu ways may not be very visible. Though any criticism of mishandling of money donated in temples is valid.
If you as a Hindu want to get involved in helping the poor, if you do some research, you will find many worthy causes to donate to, or get involved with.
And yes, Sikhs do have a thriving caste system of their own which is causing all sorts of problems in Punjab, with Christian missionaries moving in to convert them.
That should be “..tackling the problem of caste system.”
ya i agree most temples in india are too commercialized .. it only reminds me of the biblical incident where Jesus Christ expressed his anger towards the market at the temple in Jerusalem.
about caste system in Sikhs…. well looks like i was mistaken.. but will check
@rash,
If you have waited just for 5 hours with free ticket, and could see the lord for 5 minutes, then many people would consider you as a very fortunate person. Tirupathi is the most popular temple. So many pilgrims come. Everybody should get chance to see the lord. If everyone is given a chance to see the lord for 10 mins, then we may have to wait for 100 hours or even more. That is even bad. Just think of what would you do differently, if you were made as TTD chairman.
@ankur,
Even I don’t like having entrance ticket to see the god. But, in places like tirupathi, for general darshan, we may have to wait for more than 10 hours. It is not possible for everyone. By introducing the special ticket, those who cannot afford time will also get benefit. If they use that money for the people who are waiting in the general queue, it would be even more better. But, there should be always a free darshan.
@satish….
exactly my point… I agree we are not in an egalitarian society, but atleast the god should don’t discriminate… and paying a price to come to the head of the line is outright bribery.