A week after a controversy erupted over the “distorted depiction” of Lord Hanuman in murals at a Hanuman temple at Salangpur in Botad district of Gujarat, the matter was resolved on Monday after the temple managed by the Swaminarayan Vadtal Gadi Sansthan decided to remove the murals.
The murals depicted Lord Hanuman bowing down to Sahajanand Swami.
A press conference was held in Ahmedabad late on Monday evening to announce that the saints from Sanatana Dharma communities and Vadtal Gadhvi Sansthan met on Monday and discussed over the aspects related to the ongoing controversy and decided that the murals would be removed from Tuesday.
In a press release, the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha stated that all stakeholders decided that the controversy must end in the larger interests of the Hindu religion.
“The meeting was held with the blessings of Dwarka Pith Sankarachayrya and Acharya Rakesh Prasad Maharaj of Vadtal. All saints agreed to end the controversy,” the release added.
It has also been decided that no member of Swaminarayan sect would make any controversial statements or remarks against the Hindu Sanatana Dharma and its gods and goddesses.
In fact, the leaders of Swaminarayan sect even stressed that the sect was the part of the Vedic Sanatana Dharma of Hinduism.
On Sunday, RSS member Ram Madhav was also present at a meeting held at Salangpur.
The Gujarat government too swung into action on Monday, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi holding a meeting with of members of the Swaminarayan sect as well as Sanatana Dharma in which the government requested the resolve the dispute.
Earlier, Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti held a meeting in Lucknow where it decided to oust its Gujarat unit chief, Nautam Swami, who belongs to the Vadtal branch of the Swaminarayan sect.
Moreover, some Hindu religious leaders and members of Hindutva outfits from Gujarat held a meeting in Ahmedabad on Sunday where they passed 13 resolutions against the Swaminarayan sect, including a boycott of Swaminarayan saints and its temples.
Meanwhile, three persons who were arrested for defacing the murals were granted bail on Monday.
