New Delhi: Murals depicting the deity Hanuman bowing to and sitting at the feet of Swaminarayan, a 19th-century ascetic and founder of the eponymous sect of Hinduism, had brought out a sharp rift between the Swaminarayan sect – which has a large following in Gujarat – and believers claiming faith in sanatana Hinduism, who felt this portrayal demeaned their faith.Hanuman is traditionally seen as a devotee of the deities Ram and Sita.The Hindustan Times reports that the murals have now been removed. Hindu religious leaders on Sunday (September 3) passed 11 resolutions against the Swaminarayan sect, including one related to the boycott of its saints and temples, over the depiction.There were reports of the government being forced to step in, appealing to both sides to resolve the dispute.A man who defaced murals depicting the deity Hanuman in a Gujarat temple belonging to the Swaminarayan sect on Saturday (September 2) was released from judicial custody on Rs 10,000 bail, DeshGujarat reported on Monday.In a video of the incident, which has since gone viral, Harshad Gadhvi was seen rubbing ink on the murals and attacking them with an axe before being overpowered by police.Gadhvi was also heard shouting “hail sanatana dharma” as he defaced the murals.Tensions flared up in the area around the temple, which is located in Gujarat’s Botad district, after photos of the murals began circulating on social media last week, the Indian Express reported.Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and Congress leader Kamal Nath criticised Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday for his silence regarding the desecration of the Hanuman statue.The anger that the BJP has whipped up against Udayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on sanatana dharma have further given these faultlines a sharp political edge.“These individuals are opposed to sanatana dharma. Hanuman ji is a devotee of Sita and Ram, not a devotee of Swaminarayan. If they persist in such actions, we are prepared to take up arms,” DeshGujarat quoted the head of a different Hanuman temple in the area as saying.It also reported that the Vishva Hindu Parishad said that the murals ‘will be removed’ at any cost and that it would start a ‘huge movement’ for their removal if need be.The Hindu reported that a delegation of Hindu leaders submitted a memorandum to the Botad collector on Thursday (August 31) asking for the murals’ removal. It said that the temple, which is known as the Shri Kashtabhanjandev Hanumanji Mandir, had not yet commented on the incident.The temple was inaugurated by Shah in April this year, the Indian Express reported.
