Author: Priyanka P. Narain
Publication: Hindustan Times
Date: January 3, 2008
Introduction: Rising affluence, growing religiosity
and a real estate boom are creating a lucrative new business
When twilight descends, the voice of Bollywood
actor Amrish Puri rises over the waves from the nearby sea, and the show begins.
Tracing back several millenia, Puri narrates the story of Somnath, the temple
that houses the oldest Shiva lingam in India.
Hundreds gather for this light-and-sound show
everyday, some traveling days, others just a bus ride from nearby villages
in search of an evening out on wooden benches in an open amphitheater. When
it all ends, the audience makes a beeline for another darshan, or viewing
of Somnath.
The temple's trust hopes that as the devotees
go through the mix of ancient and modern, they will leave behind a donation
in the boxes scattered about the temple grounds.
India's rising affluence and real estate boom
is transforming this sleepy town in southern Gujarat into a religious amusement
park. And it is by no means an isolated example. From the veteran Tirumala
Tirupathi Devsthanams in Andhra Pradesh to the spanking new temples such as
New Delhi's Ak shardham, temples across India, flush with donations and growing
real estate assets, are expanding their influence and reasserting their traditional
role in society as places of social interaction, learning, cultural assimilation,
and, increasingly entertain ment seeped in religion. Consider the Somnath
temple. Within five years, the temple's revenue has grown from Rs 2 crores
to Rs 10 crores, and the number of visitors from 100,000 to 500,000. And so
is growing Somnath's sphere and reach, expanding steadily into the likes of
a city revolving around a religious economy.
The trust has hired artists to carve intricate
sculptures on the temple pillars and then gild the art in gold. It has added
new roads, a Sanskrit university, Vedic library, entertainment centers, hotels,
bus stations, gardens, fountains, covered stone walkways. Its goal: to create
a "Divine India," a recreation of miniatures of every spiritual
place in India.
"So that when you come here to Somnath,
you can also simultaneously visit every other spiritual place in India,"
says Ashok Sharma, the secretary to Somnath Trust, in charge of the expansion
projects for the temple. "You will not recognise this place in 10 years
time."
Already, in a shorter period, the temple and
town have been made over. Significantly, tem ples, traditionally landowners,
have gained from the real estate explosion. They also have benefited from
Indians at once becoming more rich and religious, and expressing their faith
and gratitude through temple donations.
Somnath Trust's land assets have increased
from Rs 468.42 crores to Rs 1,639.14 crores in six years. Its fixed deposits
have in creased from Rs 780 crores to Rs 1,218 crores.
Perhaps, in the ultimate testament to the
new role of temple as economic stimuli, versus the spiritual, consider that
more than half of this town is Muslim - and most depend on the temple for
a living. They work as coconut-sellers, flower-salesmen, and auto-rickshaw
drivers. Yunus Kasam, 28, has been ferrying pilgrims from one holy spot to
another in the area since he was eight.
"I know the entire history of Somnath,"
says Kasam. "I know the place where Krishna died and how he died. I have
been telling that story to tourists for the last 20 years. I hope more people
come. I like telling stories."
While Tirupathi has drawn throngs for decades,
the more modern trend of manufacturing religious entertainment began at Akshardham,
founded by the Bochasanvasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sansthan (BAPS),
which began construction in 2000.
The temple, on 30 acres on the banks of the
Yamuna River, boasts India's tallest IMAX screen showing only one movie -
about the sect's founder; a boat ride through India's history; an evening
light and sound show and a special walk-through show that uses sets and statues
to tell the history of the BAPS sect, which is a socio-spiritual Hindu organisation
with roots in the Vedas.
It was founded by Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781-1830)
in the late 18th century and established in 1907 by Shastriji Maharaj (1865-1951).
In December, Akshardham became India's first
mega temple, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, recognised under
two categories: most Hindu temples consecrated by a single person and secondly,
the world's largest comprehensive Hindu temple.
Seeing its success, besides Somnath, temples
such as Ambaji, Jagannath Puri and Dwarikadhesh have followed Akshardham's
lead in undertaking similar renovation and beautification plans to lure more
tourists.
At Ambaji, in remote Gujarat, the Arasuri
Ambaji Mata Devsthanam Trust is constructing hotels and hospitals and has
undertaken civil works such as building flyovers, streetlighting and fountains.
According to Girish Patel, the chief engineer of Ambaji's expansion, "We
are widening and improving the state highway approaching Ambaji temple. There
will be covered passages, service roads and fountains as the devotees come
to the temple. Recently we completed a Rs 5 crore water pipeline project that
has improved water supply to the town of Ambaji."
Over in Tirupathi, the Tirumala Tirupathi
Devsthanams, one of world's richest temples, already runs 20 schools and colleges,
one forest conservation project, hospitals, hotels in the area and sustains
the local economy for the city. While it has already undertaken beautification
and expansion plans long before other Indian temples - indeed the hill town
where the temple is located has long been a family vacation resort as well
- it employs local artisans by renovating and upgrading architecture of the
temple and inside the temple complex.
Similarly, church sizes have been increasing
in the US, South America, South Asia and Africa. The world's largest church,
the Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea, boasts 830,000 members. And just
the temples of India are now beginning to offer, these religious centers boast
something for everyone.
At Somnath, Sharma says he believes that expanding
the temple will bring in more tourists and more wealth into the town of Prabhas
Patan and lift the standard of living. "People here deserve better lives
and this is the way to do both," he says. "Spread faith and improve
lives."
- priyanka.p@livemint.com
