The book starts with a section explaining the difference between a temple and a ‘mandir’, between temple revenue and temple economy, religion and ‘dharma’, and economy and ‘Arthashastra’. Such differentiation is required because the words get meaning and context from the culture they originate from, and words from one civilisation cannot represent another civilisation. The author of the two-volume book on temple economics, Sandeep Singh, is a well-known researcher, teacher, author, and management guru on Bharatiya way of management with a diversified interest.
The book under review, written in two volumes, is an attempt to enable Hindus to understand their temple and temple economy from their Hindu perspective. The first volume, Temple Economics (Arthvyavasta of Mandir), is an attempt to make Hindus feel the importance of preserving the Mandir and its vast network of Mandir economy. It explains and traces the antiquity, and ebb and flow of the temple economy. The second volume, A Decade for Mandirs (Mandiron Ke Lie Ek Dashak), is meant for prodding readers to do something on the ground to preserve Mandir-s. The author has shared his ideas for Mandir preservation which a reader may or may not agree with.
The author has made a concerted effort to review and incorporate a comprehensive array of literature available in the public domain, either in print or online, on the subject matter. The author believes that the protection of mandir-s is essential for the protection of Hindu civilization and Bharat. According to him, the time has come for Hindus to snatch their mandir-s from the claws of secular government as well as invaders. Examples are cited in the book on how in a synchronized manner steps are being taken to alienate Hindus from temples through films, literature, jokes, cartoons, activisms, etc.
A good thing about the book is inclusion of more than seventy-five case studies on wide-ranging issues such as the attack on Ganga Sabha; Chinmaya Mission; Kumbh Mela; Jasmine flower & Madurai; Islamist construction vs Hindu construction; Halal Prasad at Mandir; using the Archaeological Survey of India to discourage devotees; Hindu retaliation in Gujarat; VIP Darshan among others. These case studies will hopefully help create buzz among interested people on the subject.
Mandir is a spiritual place for Hindus. It is considered the home of God, or a particular Deity. Hindus believe that God resides in Mandir after pran pratishtha, and He is treated like a living God and served accordingly. Nowadays, the term, Mandir, is being used loosely (better say, misused) by government and non-government bodies for referring to centres of non-religious activities.
The Government of India has launched the Ayushman Arogya Mandir initiative ( https://ab-hwc.nhp.gov.in/) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The question is can a hospital or health centre be considered a Mandir?
Tomorrow the same mindset may launch initiatives such as Krida Mandir for sports complex/stadium, Sudhar Mandir for prisons / remand homes, or even Sauch Mandir for sanitation complex. NGOs are also naming their schools and centres as Shishu Mandir. For example, there is an NGO in Bengaluru named Shishu Mandir (https://www.shishumandir.org ). Should the government and NGOs be allowed to use the term meant for Hindu religious places for referring to centres of their secular activities? Before starting any movement for the protection and preservation of our Mandir-s, Hindus need to protect the term, Mandir, first. Otherwise, it would be too late.
Agama-s are a vast body of literature. They provide procedures for temple worship, temple -architecture, town planning, fine arts, administration, healing with the use of Shakti-s, even bringing rain, and virtually every domain of practical living connected with temples in the Hindu society. Veda-s and Agama-s are complementary to each other; Agama-s can be considered as the applied side of the Veda-s.
A separate section on such important literature, Agama-s, is missing from the book under review. Its inclusion could have helped in a better understanding of the Mandir economy with a Dharmic perspective and enhanced its value. Overall, the book is a worthwhile read for researchers and workers involved in countering ‘cultural genocide’ against the ancient surviving civilisation.
-Dr. Govind Madhav
Hindu Emergency Aid and Relief Team (HEART)
