Gandhinagar: Speak up, said Morari Bapu over the distortion of the Hindu Sanatan faith and its Gods by a section of the Swaminarayan sect.

Morari Bapu said this today in light of a recent controversy in which the Sanatan Hindu God Hanuman has been depicted as a follower of merely 200-year-old Swaminarayan sect. In several carved mural blocks on the platform of a tall statue of Hanuman installed by the Vadtal Swaminarayan branch in Salangpur near Ahmedabad, Hanuman ji has been shown with folded hands before Sahajanand Swami of Swaminarayan sect. A tall Hanuman murti titled ‘Kind of Salangpur’ has Swaminarayan tilak (U shape and a dot in between) on the forehead.

Speak up, now speak up, you speak up – says Morari Bapu, upset with distortion of Hanuman ji at Salangpur https://t.co/HB8n1wSyss pic.twitter.com/Oajsua6eIy

— DeshGujarat (@DeshGujarat) August 30, 2023

Morari Bapu who has spoken out against the distortion of the Hindu Sanatan faith by the Swaminarayan sect sadhus in the past also, today said  – ‘These days, people are adopting deceiving practices to prove themselves as the best. In our Saurashtra, there’s a good tall statue of Hanuman ji(installed recently). Below that, Hanumanji is shown with folded hands before their(Swaminarayn sect’s) great person in the latter’s service. Now think about it. Society needs to be aware. People say, Bapu,  speak up. When I spoke, none came along with me, now you speak up.’

There has been an uproar over the Salangpur Hanuman mandir’s attempt to distort the Hindu Sanatan faith over the above issue, and a number of Sadhus and Sanatanis have on social media voiced their protests. Shernath Bapu, Indrabharti Bapu, Manidhar Bapu are some of the sadhus who have voiced against such tactics. Videos of some sadhus protesting such tactics of the Swaminarayan faith have gone viral widely. On the past occasions, a few Swaminarayan saints had to tender apologies and clarifications after their videos in which they had uttered derogatory words and distorted facts about Sanatani Hindu Gods went viral and attracted protests.

In the light of the Salangpur controversy, the photographs of Kundal mandir have also gone viral in which Hanumanji has been shown offering fruits to Sahajanand Swami of Swaminarayan sect. A written application has been submitted against such distortion and insult of the Hindu faith at Shihor police station.

As we reported in our previous story last week, Salangpur mandir has after the uproar, covered the controversial murals. However, the protestors demand the removal of them on a permanent basis and apologize with the assurance that such practices will never be done in the future.  DeshGujarat