Gujarat Global News Network
The controversy surrounding the murals of Hanumamji at Sarangpur temple has finally ended with saints of Swaminarayan sect removing the murals which showed Lord Hanuman sitting at the feet of Sahajanand Swami of Swaminarayan sect.
The issue had snowballed into controversy as many religious organizations and common people were up in arms against the depiction and there were widespread protests last week. While Swaminarayan saints refused to budge and claimed that there was nothing wrong in the depiction of murals as it was mentioned in their religious books also.
Perturbed over the situation Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel convened a meeting of over 50 saints from six primary temples of Swaminarayan sect was convened by CM on Monday. the saints represented temples in Vadtal, Junagadh, Dholera, Bhuj, Ahmedabad, and Gahda. Notably, saints from both the Acharya Paksha and Dev Paksha of the Swaminarayan sect were also present.
After meeting CM, the saints met at Shivanand Ashram where VHP leaders were also present. Later talking to media the leaders said that Swaminarayan sect was also part of Hindu society and it did not wished to hurt religious sentiments of any group. They claimed that the murals which had hurt people would be removed before sunrise on Tuesday.
The saints of swaminarayan sect have been asked to refrain from giving controversial statements. A meeting of saints of different temples and Hindu acharyas would be convened to address other controversial issues and to maintain religious harmony, the leaders told media. On Saturday, local police detained one peson who allegedly defaced some of the murals. He entered the temple holding an axe in one hand and ink in the other, and went past the barricades placed around the bronze statues amid police deployment. Video clips recording his entry went viral on social media.
