Kerala - Kozhikode   

Antony opens temple festival

— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

CENTENARY FETE: Defence Minister A.K. Antony unveils a plaque to mark the laying of the foundations of a gopuram at Sreekanteshwara Temple in the city on Tuesday.

KOZHIKODE: The centenary fete of Sreekanteshwara Temple in the city was inaugurated by Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Antony said the history of the temple paralleled the social change and societal progress achieved by Kerala in the last 100 years.

Remembering Sree Narayana Guru, founder of the temple, Mr. Antony said the relevance of the Guru’s teachings had only increased with the passage of time. “The social revolution he created without bloodshed, hatred or ideology but by winning the hearts and minds of the people laid the cornerstone for modern Kerala,” Mr. Antony said.

“Let us not forget that there was a time when temple entry, the freedom to walk on the roads and the right to dress appropriately were denied to large sections of our people.”

Mr. Antony spoke about the importance of Sree Narayana Guru’s saying: “whatever be the religion, being humane is what matters.” “I believe religion is a personal belief, but it pains me to see bloodshed in the name of religion,” Mr. Antony said. The Defence Minister said the Guru played a major role in the communal amity in the State.

Devaswom Minister Kadannapally Ramachandran said Sreekanteshwara Temple was a monument of Sree Narayana Guru’s fight for social justice and he remembered the influence of the Guru on Mahatma Gandhi, which led Gandhi to address the issue of Dalit upliftment along with his political causes.

Swami Prakashananda, head of Sivagiri Math; Kozhikode MP M.K. Raghavan; Mathrubhumi Managing Editor P.V. Chandran; IUML leader Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal; Vicar-General Vincent Arakkal; and Malabar Chamber of Commerce president P.V. Gangadharan; spoke.

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