ROLE OF DEVALAYAS
A temple integrates the community and is the binding force that promotes unity in the society. The Hindu temple is a vast and complex adhyatmik, religious, cultural and socio-economic entity. It is many things in one but it is also a socio-economic enterprise .Adam Hardy, the scholar of Hindu architecture does not miss this point: “The foundation and endowment of temples played a central role in the development of state and society. Temples became social and educational centres, and important economic institutions landowners, employers, moneylenders and dispensers of charity. They were a canvas for the visual arts, a stage for the performing arts. By the end of this period the great temple complexes in south India could have hundreds of employees, from priests and administrators to masons, dancers, cooks and potters.” The temples also function as ‘Social Security System’. They help in times of emergencies like floods, famines, epidemics and other such emergencies by providing relief work. They help the poorest sections of the society.
Till Bharat’s Independence, the temples functioned as the judicial arbitrator for the rural population. In some cases they still do. Just about a hundred years ago people in the rural areas looked towards a temple for solving their disputes based on ethical and moral standards as depicted in the Shastras and interpreted according to the needs of the time.
There are more than 6 lakh 49 thousand temples in India, with 53 temples for every one lakh persons. Tamil Nadu, emerges as the temple state’ in the country registering 79,154 temples. TN has 103 temples for every one lakh people.
CONCLUSION
The centrality of the Hindu temple in the social life of the Hindu community cannot be stressed enough. Over the centuries, due to the destruction brought upon by the invaders the Hindu temple fell into neglect. It is only now that the world is waking up to the wonder that is the Hindu temple.
The archeological world identified Indian Civilization as most ancient and continuing civilization of the world. Kovil Konda Tamizhakam is an effort of Aram Vallartha Nayaki Sevai Maiyam the team inspired, trained and worked under Swamy Dayananda Saraswathi to bring back the age-old practice of making the temple a charging centre for the people to carry out their day-to-day work in an effective manner. Further, temple should be made a central point in people’s lives so that all the communities prosper and temples also flourish thereby. We invite you to be a part of this great endeavor of rejuvenation of the temples.