Indian religious freedom - not

July 20,2006 New rule in temple town against Christian evangelization

Tirupati (ICNS) -- Charging that Christian missionaries are carrying out evangelical and conversion activities in the Hindu temple town of Tirupati, the temple authorities have made it mandatory for all employees to sport a ‘tilak’ on their foreheads.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) that manages the affairs of Lord Venkateswara temple, on Wednesday issued direction to all its 10,000 employees to sport a 'tilak' on their forehead. ‘Tilak’ is a mark of Hindu auspiciousness. Officials said the new rule has been issued amid allegations that some employees were helping in the evangelical activities like distributing pamphlets among pilgrims visiting the temple located on Tirumala Hills. By sporting a 'tilak' the employees would be expressing their firm faith in Hindu religion and desist from any move, which violates the sanctity of the place, authorities said. TTD took the step as pressure was mounting from different quarters especially right wing groups to curb the Christian missionary activities in the temple town. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary Bandaru Dattatreya on Wednesday said his party would raise the issue of evangelical activities at Tirumala and other major Hindu pilgrim centres in Andhra Pradesh in Parliament. BJP leaders allege that ever since Y S Rajasekhara Reddy (a Christian) became the Andhra Pradesh chief minister years ago, the activities of Christian missionaries in the temple town had increased. ”Christian missionaries were propagating their religion on the hills. Nearly 42 Christian families are carrying out religious activities in Tirumala,” Dattatreya said. He alleged that some employees of TTD were helping the missionaries in their activities. “We are happy that the temple authorities have now issued orders that all employees would put the tilak mark on their forehead,” he added. But Church leaders have denied that Christian missionaries have been carrying out evangelical activities in Tirumala. Tirumala is one the world’s largest Hindu shrines and often compared with Vatican City. The temple draws more than 50,000 devotees every day.

July 17,2006

Tirumala temple includes all seven hills: Minister

Hyderabad (ICNS) -- All the seven hills in Tirumala region are part of the Hindu holy temple of Tirumala, said a minister of Andhra Pradesh state in state capital.

Endowments Minister J.C. Diwakar Reddy told a press conference on Sunday that the temple, abode of Lord Venkateswara, included all the seven hills and not just two as some reports said. The minister read out the original order on the Tirumala hills published in the Fort St. George Gazette on September 24, 1940. The mister said this following reports that Christian missionaries were active in some areas of Tirumala. Reddy said reports that only two hills belonged to the temple were "wrong" and urged media to understand the sensitivity of the issue, which required care. "If necessary, we will include more land in the township. We will do so by writing to the Centre, asking to de-notify the land required from the Forest Department," he said.