Manjunatha Temple in Dharmasthala, revered as the ‘Kashi of the South,’ has come under attack by Breaking India forces since a self-claimed whistle-blower alleged mass burials of women and children in hundreds by his team between 1995 and 2014 along riverbanks and forest lands around Dharmasthala, with whispers of sexual assault and injuries.
Since allegations emerged in the first week of July, the media frenzy, fuelled by leaks and day-to-day speculation, quickly became fodder for anti-Bharat forces that are waiting for an opportunity to demean Hindus and their temple-centric lifestyle and system.
As things heated up, acting under pressure, the Congress-led Karnataka Government formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that dug at 13 identified sites, with no evidence. Following this, Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar conceded the existence of a larger conspiracy targeting the temple. Yet, despite the absence of evidence, the vilification continues — an assault not just on temples but on their administration.
Following close observation of these developments and connecting the dots from debates linked to the Dharmasthala episode, it appears to have a close resemblance to the pattern of attacks on temples by proxy forces. What makes it the target is its unique and classic living example of harmony, where a Shaiva temple is administered by a Jain family, with Vaishnava priests performing rituals, embodying the very essence of inclusivity.
Dharmasthala: The Latest and Most Dangerous Target
Dharmasthala is one of the most revered religious and cultural institutions of the South, known for unparalleled charity, free food for lakhs of devotees, support for education, rural development, and the preservation of Dharma.
For decades, it has been a place where devotion meets service, where pilgrims from every corner of Bharat come to seek blessings and experience unity beyond caste, creed, or sect. This very success and popularity make it a prime target for the Marxist playbook. Under the pretext of “accountability” and “investigation,” certain political forces and left-leaning activists are attempting to tarnish its name, manufacturing controversies and planting seeds of doubt among the masses.
It seems that politically motivated investigations were designed to erode trust, to portray a Dharmic place as corrupt or abusive, and thus sever the emotional bond between the devotees and the temple.
When a temple like Dharmasthala is dragged through the mud, the damage is not just to its reputation — it is to the very idea of Dharma as a unifying, benevolent force.
The Communist Playbook: Demoralise, Divide, Destroy
As we witness how the pro-Communist elements amplified this news and attempted to create a narrative of damaging the temple-linked society and activities. The well-known Communist strategy, since its earliest experiments in the 20th century, has always revolved around demoralisation. When a society is anchored in its traditions, when its people have pride in their heritage, when their cultural institutions are strong — it is difficult to control them. So the first step is simple: make the people ashamed of their own heritage. Convince them that their traditions are backward, oppressive, or irrational. Use emotionally charged language — “equality,” “justice,” “rights” — but direct it selectively, always against the dominant civilisational pillar.
In Bharat, the civilisational pillar is Sanatana Dharma. And the temples are its beating heart. Thus, the attacks are focused here.
Hijacking Feminism to Target Temples
Consider the case of Sabarimala. For centuries, the temple’s tradition restricted the entry of women of reproductive age — not because women are inferior, but because the deity, Lord Ayyappa, is in the eternal state of Naishtika Brahmacharya (celibate ascetic). This was a deeply theological reason, accepted and respected by millions of devotees — including women.
But the leftist machine twisted the narrative: “This is gender discrimination. This is patriarchy. This is injustice.” Suddenly, a sacred tradition became a “women’s rights issue.” The Supreme Court was petitioned. Activists, most of whom had never been devotees, were paraded as champions of justice. The result? Chaos at the temple gates. Police batons clashing with devotees. Priests in tears. And a media narrative that painted the believers as backward bigots. What was achieved for women? Nothing. What was achieved for the Marxist agenda? Plenty — a wedge was driven between communities, trust in the temple management was weakened, and another blow was struck at the cultural spine of Bharat.
Shani Shingnapur: The Same Script, Different Stage
In Maharashtra, the 400-year-old tradition of Shani Shingnapur similarly respected the sanctity of the inner sanctum. Women devotees visited, prayed, and participated in rituals — but did not step into that space, in line with the temple’s customs. Again, leftist-backed activists stormed the temple, defying local sentiment. The television cameras rolled. The anchors cried “historic victory.” And once again, a tradition that had stood unbroken for centuries was branded a relic of oppression.
Animal Rights as a Cultural Weapon
When the feminist argument is not enough, another tool is deployed: animal rights. Elephants in temple processions? Cruelty, they say. Cows in temple compounds? Oppression. Temple rituals involving offerings from nature? Barbaric.
The irony is bitter — these same voices are silent when animals are slaughtered in other contexts, but the moment a ritual linked to Sanatana Dharma is involved, the outrage becomes deafening. The goal is not compassion; the goal is to shame Hindu customs into oblivion.
The Feminine in Sanatana Dharma vs. Imported Feminism
Here lies the greatest hypocrisy. Hindu civilisation is the only one in the world where the Divine Feminine is supreme. In the Shakta tradition, the Goddess is the origin, sustenance, and dissolution of the universe. Without Shakti, even Shiva is Shava (a corpse). Women are seen as manifestations of the Goddess herself — “Yatra naryastu pujyante, ramante tatra devataah” — “Where women are honoured, the Gods rejoice.”
What other culture places motherhood and maidenhood in the same divine frame as warriorhood and wisdom? Durga rides into battle. Kali destroys evil. Saraswati bestows knowledge. Lakshmi grants prosperity. This is not symbolism; it is the spiritual DNA of Bharat.
Imported feminism, on the other hand, reduces the feminine to a political category, a bargaining chip in ideological games. It is adversarial, not celebratory. It seeks to pit woman against man, not harmonise them. And in the hands of communists, it becomes a weapon to delegitimise the very culture that has honoured the feminine for millennia.
Why Temples Are the Real Targets
Temples are more than places of worship. They are cultural universities where dance, music, sculpture, and philosophy have flourished for centuries; community centres where festivals unite thousands in shared joy; charitable institutions feeding the poor, supporting education, and aiding the needy; guardians of history preserving ancient knowledge systems, rituals, and art forms.
If you weaken the temple, you weaken all these functions. You create a cultural vacuum. And into that vacuum, you can inject state control, ideological re-education, and foreign narratives. This is why communists and their allies will never launch a sustained campaign against mosques or churches — not because they love them, but because those institutions are not the civilisational spine of Bharat. The temples are.
The Endgame: A People Without Roots
A society disconnected from its roots is easy to control. A people without cultural pride will accept whatever ideology is fed to them. A civilisation that forgets its traditions will see them rewritten by those in power. The endgame is not women’s rights, nor animal welfare. The endgame is cultural amnesia — and once that is achieved, Bharat can be reshaped into whatever mould the ideological colonisers desire.
From Demoralisation to Dharmic Renaissance
If we are to survive this assault, we must educate ourselves and the next generation about the real meaning behind temple traditions — theological, cultural, and social; expose the double standards of those who selectively target Hindu practices while ignoring others; support legal, cultural, and community initiatives that protect the autonomy of temples from ideological interference; celebrate our festivals, rituals, and sacred spaces with renewed vigour, refusing to be shamed out of them; and unite across caste, language, and regional lines when our temples are under attack — for the enemy sees no such divisions.
Demoralisation is the first step in any cultural conquest. But Bharat is not a land that surrenders easily. For every narrative they twist, we have a thousand stories of resilience. For every temple they target, a hundred new shrines rise in devotion. For every attempt to shame our traditions, there must be a louder, prouder affirmation of who we are. Let the world know: we are the children of Shakti. We are the inheritors of Dharma. We bow to the feminine not in token gestures, but in living, breathing worship. And we will not let our temples fall to the games of those who fear our strength. The Mother has always protected her children. But the children must now rise to protect the Mother.
Only Civilisation that Worships the Feminine
In the grand theatre of human civilisations, there is only one tradition that has celebrated, venerated, and worshipped the feminine principle as Shakti — the cosmic force without which creation itself is impossible. In Bharat, we do not merely “respect” women in theory. We have, for thousands of years, worshipped them as Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kamakhya, Meenakshi, Kanyakumari. Every river, from the Ganga to the Godavari, is a goddess. Every temple courtyard holds the fragrance of a thousand prayers to the Mother.
No other civilisation on Earth has such a spiritual, cultural, and societal reverence for the feminine. Even our language reflects it — Matrubhoomi (Motherland), Gau Mata, Bharat Mata. And yet, in the name of feminism, certain forces — particularly those aligned with communist, Marxist, and radical leftist thought — have been waging a silent war against our temples, our traditions, and our heritage. They do not do this to uplift women. They do this to dismantle Dharma.
As our country is on the path of renaissance and striving to connect with its roots, the proxy forces that feel threatened by our assertion of a proud identity may increase their attacks and take different routes. Yet, it is for civilians and society as a collective to stand firm and neutralise such narratives and agendas.
The author is a founder of Shwaasa Yoga, Bengaluru and Jagadguru of Veerashaiva Lingayat Panchamsali Jagadguru Peetha, Harihar, Karnataka.
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