If you are a Hindu, staging different types of poojas for different occasions, you must have come across the word ‘panchdevata’. Do you remember who are these five deities ? They are Ganesh, Surya (sun), Bhagvati, Vishnu and Mahadev. Your priest must have directed you to recite ‘pancgdevatabhyo namah’. If the Pooja is held in daytime, it is ‘suryadipanchdevata’ but if it is in the evening, it is recited as ‘ganpatyadidevata’. It is remarkable that the subsequently more popular gods like Ram and Krishna have no place in that arrangement which appears to be more pristine.
It is said that previously, the devotees of Mahadev or Vishnu would claim superiority of their deity and clash among themselves. They constructed separate temples of their deity. In 14th century, the leaders persuaded the people to forget such petty differences and adopt religious harmony. So the society of that period in Mithila favouring this spiritual inclusiveness started founding ‘panchayatan temple’ in which under a single roof all the five were installed and the devotees worshipped all of them. Though it became the acceptable trend in 14th century and around, by now such temples are not being founded. The remains of such a panchayatan temple can be seen at Dekuli (Devkuli) village near Darbhanga town. Except the Vishnu statue, the damaged statues of other four deities are extant. These ruins are in the historical Vardhmaneshwar temple in the east of Dekuli. Shri Parmeshwar Jha, in his book Mithila Tattva Vimarsh has thrown adequate light on this aspect.
This system of panchayatan temple appears to have been forgotten by the modern society. Temples are intended to appease all sections even if it militated against the classically approved regulations. You can find the images of Vaishno Devi, Daddev, Sai Baba and the heads of different other cults in Hindu temples which is not approved by our authentic scriptures. Our ‘dharmshastras (Lawbooks) have clearly laid down the qualities of a god deserving to be installed in a Sanatani temple. Any cult is free to have its own temple with the image of its deity but to encroach upon the Sanatan hierarchy is not acceptable. What the Shankaracharya (Swaroopanandji) says is exactly the same thing. He is disrespectful to no cult, no deity but opposed to adjusting them in a Sanatan system temple. Nobody has quoted any scriptural authority to justify installing a Sai Baba statue or photo in a Ram temple. If one is so liberal and cohesive, he should accommodate others in his family residence and set an example. It is also our duty to deny entry to any unauthorized deity in our places of worship besides the panchdevata.
It is said that previously, the devotees of Mahadev or Vishnu would claim superiority of their deity and clash among themselves. They constructed separate temples of their deity. In 14th century, the leaders persuaded the people to forget such petty differences and adopt religious harmony. So the society of that period in Mithila favouring this spiritual inclusiveness started founding ‘panchayatan temple’ in which under a single roof all the five were installed and the devotees worshipped all of them. Though it became the acceptable trend in 14th century and around, by now such temples are not being founded. The remains of such a panchayatan temple can be seen at Dekuli (Devkuli) village near Darbhanga town. Except the Vishnu statue, the damaged statues of other four deities are extant. These ruins are in the historical Vardhmaneshwar temple in the east of Dekuli. Shri Parmeshwar Jha, in his book Mithila Tattva Vimarsh has thrown adequate light on this aspect.
This system of panchayatan temple appears to have been forgotten by the modern society. Temples are intended to appease all sections even if it militated against the classically approved regulations. You can find the images of Vaishno Devi, Daddev, Sai Baba and the heads of different other cults in Hindu temples which is not approved by our authentic scriptures. Our ‘dharmshastras (Lawbooks) have clearly laid down the qualities of a god deserving to be installed in a Sanatani temple. Any cult is free to have its own temple with the image of its deity but to encroach upon the Sanatan hierarchy is not acceptable. What the Shankaracharya (Swaroopanandji) says is exactly the same thing. He is disrespectful to no cult, no deity but opposed to adjusting them in a Sanatan system temple. Nobody has quoted any scriptural authority to justify installing a Sai Baba statue or photo in a Ram temple. If one is so liberal and cohesive, he should accommodate others in his family residence and set an example. It is also our duty to deny entry to any unauthorized deity in our places of worship besides the panchdevata.
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