Dear Je
I watched your talk about temples. I am an atheist. Is it appropriate for me to visit temples just to appreciate the architecture and sculptures? Won’t people accuse me of disrespecting the temples? Devotees might say that, right?
Senthilkumar
Dear Senthilkumar
Let’s assume that today a group builds a temple for their worship. Let’s assume they built it solely for their worship. In that case, it would be wrong for someone who does not worship to visit. However, our temples were built by kings of the past. They were the property of the governments of that time.
Today’s government is the continuation of those ancient governments. We are citizens of the current government. We have the right to access all temples. No one has the right to monitor whether we are worshiping or simply appreciating the art.
Temples are not just for worshippers. They are treasures of Indian art. They belong to all Indian citizens. From a global perspective, they are treasures of world art. They belong to all global citizens.
However one should not interfere with the worship practices of devotees in temples. Actions that disturb the devotional mindset should not take place. The artistic treasures of temples should be preserved in their entirety.
From that perspective, all citizens should be cautious about harming our artistic treasures. Actions such as repeatedly applying butter on statues, white washing, painting over the sculptures, constructing concrete structures within temples should be avoided. It is the responsibility of people interested in art to monitor and control devotees who tend to destroy the sculptures in the name of devotion.
Jeyamohan
Translated by Geethaa Senthilkumar
