Sai Baba Idols Controversy: In Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, the elimination of Sai Baba statues from two main temples—Bada Ganesh Temple and Purushottam Temple—has sparked controversy. Hindu nationalist teams opposed the presence of Sai idols, arguing they do not belong in temples devoted to Hindu deities. Dealing with strain, the temple administration agreed to the elimination, igniting debates about spiritual practices and Sai’s place in Hindu worship. Nevertheless, the controversy surrounding Sai Baba idols is not new.
What’s Occurring in Varanasi
The Sai Baba statue on the Bada Ganesh Temple in Varanasi has been eliminated as a part of a marketing campaign by the Sanatan Rakshak Dal. Members of the group eliminated the statue on Sunday evening, claiming that the worship of Sai Baba is inappropriate in a metropolis sacred to Sanatan Dharma.
Ajay Sharma, president of the Sanatan Rakshak Dal, said that there are not any causes for Sai Baba’s presence within the temples of Kashi.
On Monday, varied members of the Sanatan Rakshak Dal assembled on the Bada Ganesh Temple in Lohatia, a historic website that draws hundreds of devotees every day. Through the gathering, the group wrapped a five-foot Sai statue in material and eliminated it from the temple advanced, putting it outdoors the premises.
Supreme Court docket On Sai Idol Placement
In 2014, the Supreme Court docket declined to intervene in a dispute stemming from feedback made by the Shankaracharya of Dwarkapeeth about worshiping Sai Baba. This controversy had resulted in derogatory remarks concerning the saint and the elimination of his idol from a number of temples. As per reviews, the courtroom was listening to a petition from the Saidham Charitable Belief, which oversees varied temples in Maharashtra, together with the Sai Baba temple.
This yr in June, the Madras Excessive Court docket issued a discover to the Tamil Nadu Hindu Non secular and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Division relating to a petition searching for the elimination of Sai Baba idols from government-run Hindu temples. The petition, filed by Coimbatore resident D. Suresh Babu, argued {that a} previous courtroom ruling helps the concept Sai Baba’s followers come from varied faiths, not simply Hinduism.
