Mangaluru: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Tuesday that the VIP darshan culture concept in religious places is opposed to the idea of equality.
He was addressing the gathering after the inauguration of the New Queue Complex “Sri Sanidhya” at the famous Hindu pilgrimage centre of Karnataka’s Dharmasthala in Mangaluru district.
He also inaugurated the 2024-25 Jnanadeep programme.
“The religious institutions are emblematic of equality since there is no individual higher before the Almighty or the God. We should reinstall the idea of equality in religious institutions. When precedence is accorded… when priority is given to someone, when we label it as VVIP, this is belittling the concept of equality,” Vice-President Dhankhar opined.
“VIP culture, friends, is an aberration, it is an incursion when viewed in the anvil of equality. It should have no place in society and much less in religious places,” he underlined.
“Let us shun for all times VIP culture. The very idea of VIP darshan militates against divinity it should be dispensed with,” Vice President Dhankar appealed.
“A soothing change in recent years in our country has been infrastructural growth that is germane to our religious places. This needs to be applauded as these are centres also of our civilisational values,” he noted.
“India is like the spiritual centre of the world, and Dharmasthala is its crown jewel. Lakhs of people come here to seek blessings from the Lord.”
Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said: “This place is a blend of spirituality, excellence, and beauty, with state-of-the-art facilities. India’s religious places are more than just places of personal faith. They are centres of community service.”
“Dharmasthala’s contribution in the fields of education and medicine is immense. India is a rural country, and its development determines the country’s economy. Sri Kshetra is doing development work in rural areas,” he added.
“India is growing globally. Our goal should not just be to make India a developed country by 2047, but it should be our purpose. This can be achieved by personally contributing to the country. India is a land of culture, and one-sixth of the world’s population resides here. The new generation of youth should know about our civilisation. Otherwise, we will forget our history,” the Vice-President said.
During the event, D. Veerendra Heggade, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and administrator of Dharmasthala temple, in his address emphasised the core foundation of the newly inaugurated complex is rooted in the principle of “Bhaktadhi devobhava” (Devotees are God).
This guiding value has influenced every aspect of the design and construction of this temple, Heggade added.
“Every detail of the complex reflects a deep consideration for enhancing the experience of the devotees, providing them with a more organised, comfortable, and welcoming environment during their visit. The various facilities within the complex are aimed at ensuring that each devotee can have a smooth, efficient, and spiritually fulfilling experience,” the BJP MP said.
The Sri Sanidhya can accommodate around 10,000 people at a time, reducing the waiting time for devotees to have darshan.
The new queue system complex ‘Sri Sanidhya’, equipped with the latest technology, is a three-storey building spread over 2,75,177 square feet with 16 waiting halls.
It has a children’s care room, a weighing room, a food counter, well-maintained toilets, a VIP waiting room, AI CCTV, air conditioning, emergency medical facilities, clean drinking water, television facilities, fire safety, emergency lifts, and solar power.
The Jnanadeepa project has been implemented to improve the quality of education in rural areas.
Vice-President Dhankhar inaugurated the 2024-25 Jnanadeepa project by providing scholarships to students.
Vice President Dhankhar’s wife Sudesh Dhankhar, Hemavati V. Heggade, BJP MP Brijesh Chowta, Vice-President of SDM Educational Institutions D. Surendra Kumar, and Secretary of SDM Educational Institutions D. Harshendra Kumar were present at the event.
(IANS)
