Hindus will have to fight together for the restoration of temples seized by churches in Goa : Prof Subhash Velingkar, State Chief, Bharatmata ki Jay Sanga, Goa

• Second Day : First session : All India Hindu Rashtra Convention
• The dignitaries lashed out at the impact of Islamic and Christian encroachment on the temples

Prof Subhash Velingkar, State Chief, Bharatmata ki Jay Sanga, Goa

Ramnathi (Goa) – More than 1,000 temples of large and small sizes, were demolished in Goa during the Portuguese rule. Of these, only two temples, Varenyapuri (Verna) and Shri Shri Vijayadurga (Shankhavali) survived the church attack. These temples have been declared as protected by the State Archaeological Department. Despite this, the conspiracy to fully encroach on the temple land has been going on through the church for the last several years. Prof Subhash Velingkar the State Sangha Chief of Bharat Mata Ki Jai Sangha in Goa appealed to Hindus that we have to fight together for the restoration of temples seized by the churches in Goa. He was speaking on the second day of the 10^th All India Hindu Rashtra Convention on ‘Islamic and Christian Encroachment on Temples’. On this occasion, Advocate Madan Mohan Yadav from Varanasi, Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, Spokesperson of Hindu Front for Justice and H H Ashok Patrikar was present.

At this time Prof Subhash Velingkar said,

1. That in order to fully encroach on the land of Varanyapuri (Verna) and Shri Vijayadurga temples, many illegal activities are going on including cutting down trees in the temple premises and filling the adjacent ponds. Complaints made by Hindu devotees in this regard are being ignored.

2. The Vijayadurga temple site is protected by the Archaeological Department under the name ‘Frontispiece of Sancoale’. Even the Government is neglecting to preserve the site.

3. No action can be taken on this site without the permission of the Archaeological Department. In spite of this, Christians are trying to show that this land belongs to the church by holding religious programs here.

4. For the last 10 years, a conspiracy has been going on to grab this land through the church and an attempt is being made to demoralise the Hindus by registering false crimes against them.

5. The remains of the temple, and stones from the temple area were buried under the ground.

6. Many Christians from other parts of the area visit this area on foot and constant attempts are made to forcibly display that the area belongs to the church.