Tantric University to be established in Kerala

[Guest guest]

In God's own country, comrades' own Tantric

university

Rajeev P I

The Indian Express

Aug. 9, 2007

 

Marx may have called religion the opium of the people,

but comrades ruling Kerala are set to ensure that it

thrives. The Left Democratic Front government is

seriously thinking of starting a full-fledged Tantric

university in Kerala. The only similar university in the

country is the Dalai Lama's Gyuto Tantric University in

Himachal Pradesh. [??]

 

" Spiritual and ritualistic practices in our temples have

been deteriorating. This is turning people off, " said

senior CPM leader and Minister for Temple Affairs G.

Sudhakaran, maintaining that a Tantric university has

been found " necessary " to shore up the state's waning

spiritual inclinations, thanks to " spiritually ignorant "

priests.

 

He said top Hindutva scholars, Vedic exponents, and

spiritual gurus will be roped in as faculty. The university

will run courses for aspiring priests, besides running

continuing education programmes for those already

working in temples. However, the government doesn't

plan to insist that all priests be required to pass the

courses - for that would mean fiddling with the touchy

area of the traditional and largely hierarchical offices of

priests and tantris.

 

" The idea is to properly educate them on important

spiritual areas and ritual practices, and bring them up to

the required standards, " says Sudhakaran. [....]

 

Teachers at the university will also be authorised as

spirituality inspectors. " They will inspect temples, make

sure spiritual practices are up to standards, " says

Sudhakaran, [....]

 

In an earlier hearing, the commission had expressed

shock after it heard the Tantri or spiritual head of

Kerala's most high-profile Sabarimala temple,

Kantararu Mohanaru, who also heads a panel to select

priests, confessed he knew no Sanskrit, had no clue of

the Vedas or its mantras and chants. [....]

from:

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/209652.html