Par panel recommends permitting worship at ASI sites having 'religious significance'
New Delhi, Dec 11: A parliamentary panel has recommended to the Centre to explore the possibility of permitting worship at ASI-protected monuments having "religious significance" if it can be established that this would not have a detrimental effect on their conservation.
The department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has said this in its 'Three Hundred Sixty Third Report on the Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations/observations of the Committee contained in its Three Hundred Twenty-Fourth Report' on 'Issues relating to Untraceable Monuments and Protection of Monuments in India', which was presented in both Houses on Friday.
"The Committee feels that several historical monuments across the country hold immense religious significance to a large number of people and allowing pujas/worship/ certain religious activities at such monuments can fulfil legitimate aspirations of the people," the panel said in its observations in the report.
"The Committee, therefore, recommends that ASI may explore the possibility of permitting pujas/worship/certain religious activities at historical Centrally Protected Monuments of religious significance, subject to the condition that it can be established that such activities would not have any detrimental effect on the state of conservation and preservation of the monument," it said.
The Ministry of Culture in its response to the observations of the panel has said that it has noted them for "exploring feasibility".
"In this regard, it is to submit that as per the policy decision revival of worship is not allowed where it was not in vogue at the time of protection or abandoned since long," the ministry has told the panel.
A senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said, according to the AMSAR (Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains) Act, if a site was not a religious one or any religious activity was not being carried out at the time ASI took it into its custody, then worshipping or any other religious activity cannot be allowed there.
However, if that was the norm at the time of its taking over by the ASI, such religious practices are permitted.
An example is the Taj Mahal, where Friday prayers are permitted as it was done when the ASI brought it under its ambit, sources said.
Lingaraja Temple in Odisha is maintained by the ASI and a temple trust, so puja is allowed there, as it has been conducted for a very long time. Worshipping is permitted at a temple in the Khajuraho temple complex also similarly, the sources said.
However, when ASI took over the ruins of the ancient Martand Sun Temple in Jammu and Kashmir, it was already in a state of ruins where worshipping had stopped long ago, and therefore, can't be permitted according to the existing norms, they said.
The department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture in its report has also expressed a "deep concern and disappointment at this apparent lack of seriousness," on the part of the ministry in responding to the panel's recommendations addressing critical issues.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
45-year-old man jumps to death at Delhi Metro station
New Delhi (PTI): A 45-year-old man died on Tuesday after he allegedly jumped in front of a train at the Uttam Nagar East Metro station, police said.
Information was received from the station controller at 10:12 am that a man had jumped onto the tracks at the Metro station.
“The incident took place at 9:50 am when the man climbed down from the platform onto the tracks and was run over by a train,” DCP (Metro) Kushal Pal Singh said.
The deceased, identified as Maharaj Singh from Rajasthan, worked as a house painter and had come to Delhi to attend the wedding of his niece.
Initial inquiry revealed that Singh had been suffering from depression for many years and was undergoing treatment at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here.
He had visited the hospital on Monday, the DCP said.
“Singh is survived by his wife, their 18-year-old daughter, and two sons aged 17 and 20. The body has been shifted to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for post-mortem,” the officer said.
