Across India’s temple towns, rising tourist footfall, evolving governance structures, and new revenue models are reshaping how sacred sites are administered and preserved. Temples, once self-sustaining civilizational institutions, are increasingly treated as revenue-generating assets, with properties sold, offerings monetized, and darshan commodified. Rema Raghavan writes that this commercialization displaces local communities, erodes ritual continuity, and weakens the organic moral oversight once provided by resident devotees. As temples transform from living centers of worship into tourist spectacles, the intimate bond between deity, devotee, and community frays. Restoring temples as civilizational epicenters, she argues, requires accountable governance, empowered local participation, and an uncompromising commitment to ritual and heritage preservation.
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An Air of Social Doom: Political Propaganda Passed off as Moral Messaging
This article by Sriram Chellapilla, the fifth in a series of essays on the subject, argues that celebrity anguish over press freedom, NGOs, and society functions less as moral concern and more as selective political signaling. Using Naseeruddin Shah’s statements as a framing device, the author exposes how unelected NGOs, opaque media ownership, and celebrity activism often mask ideological agendas behind the language of freedom. Chellapilla contends that scrutiny of NGOs and media is neither new nor authoritarian, having been pursued by successive governments. What is troubling, he argues, is the hypocrisy of invoking free speech only when aligned with preferred politics, while remaining silent on censorship and intimidation by “secular” regimes.

Communal Echoes in ‘Secular’ Discourse : Tropes and Themes in Naseeruddin Shah’s ‘Secular’ Rants
In the next essay of the series of articles on minority-progressive celebrities, Sriram Chellapilla dissects Naseeruddin Shah’s polemics to expose a familiar pattern in India’s “secular” discourse: the distortion of arguments, selective outrage, and the reflexive defense of Mughal icons like Aurangzeb. Through close textual analysis and historical context, the essay shows how misrepresentation, straw-manning, and moral asymmetry function as tools of what the author terms the Minority-Progressive Celebrity (MPC) narrative. At its core, the piece interrogates how Hinduphobia is normalized under the guise of liberalism while minority fundamentalism is minimized or denied.

Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ: The Discipline of Stillness in Pātañjala Yoga
The author explains that Yoga is not a technique of suppression but a disciplined process of stilling the mind’s fluctuations - Citta-Vṛtti-Nirodhaḥ. Drawing on Vyāsa’s Bhāṣya, nirodhaḥ is presented as a progressive settling of mental modifications back into their unmanifest source. As the vṛttis dissolve, puruṣa is no longer obscured by reflection in citta and abides in its own svarūpa. Yoga thus culminates not in transformation, but in the revelation of the seer’s ever-present clarity.

Explorations of Quantum Physics and Its Weave into Advaita Vedanta Tenets
In this article, the author Priyavrat Gadhvi argues that what we perceive as solid matter is not fundamental reality, but an effect generated by deeper, unseen quantum fields. At the most basic level, humans, objects, and even space itself are excitations within an all-pervasive field rather than independent substances. This understanding blurs the boundaries between physics, metaphysics, and philosophy, revealing reality as relational and emergent. Gadhvi contends that modern quantum field theory echoes Advaita Vedanta’s insight - that multiplicity is apparent, while the underlying essence of existence is singular and indivisible.
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The Autumn Wind
The haunting experience of returning to ones homeland from where you were once cast away.
“The Secret of The Veda” by Sri Aurobindo – A Review
"The Secret of The Veda" by Sri Aurobindo is a collection of Sri Aurobindo’s various writings on the Veda and his translations of some of the hymns, originally published in the monthly review 'Arya' between August 1914 and 1920.
Recent excavation of ancient temple – Mahabalipuram Part III
Recently discovered temple complex provides intriguing proof of temple construction dating back more than 2000 years in Mahabalipuram.
Woman in Indian history: A few vignettes from epigraphy
Through the centuries, misconceptions have arisen about the role of women in Indian society, often neglecting to mention the diverse roles that they played.
‘Mahabharata Unravelled’ By Ami Ganatra – A Review
Ami Ganatra's book "Mahabharata Unravelled" is going to be revelatory for those who are used to a steady diet of modern, almost fictitious and agenda driven, retellings, or rather remodellings, of dharmik epics. It must be read as a stepping stone for the study of the source text to understand and absorb the main epic in a deeper manner.
Udayagiri-Khandagiri Caves – Syncretism of Indic religions
The harmonious co-existence of different Indic faiths depicted on the Udayagiri-Khandagiri Caves is a sight to behold.
‘Flight of the Deity’ from Modhera – Part 2
The followers of Surya Devta still rever him even after centuries of turmoil.
Ārya Prajñā: Artificial Intelligence according to Indian ethical values – Part II
All cultures develop machines and industries in their own image and hence an effort to build such machinery through an authentic Indic and Dharmic perspective should be our aim.
Agrāharas – The Building Blocks of Dharmik Economy
Agrahāras have long been associated with the Hindu temple, popularly understood as residential housing schemes for brāhmaṇa families around the main temple. Popular narrative has sought to classify them as elitist brahminical dwellings designed to keep non-brāhmaṇas out. The notion, however, deviates from the reality - the primary right of the king over land is exercised by collecting a portion of produce as a ‘prime’ (agra) tax. When such tax revenue is gifted to a donee resulting in a ‘loss’ (hāra) to the state, it is called agrahāra. The lands gifted to brāhmaṇas are called brahmadéyas. These lands are typically agricultural lands that were already brought to revenue. Gifting of such lands has the effect of transferring the tax revenue therefrom to the donees. The brahmadéyas, are also not exclusively brahminical settlements.
Lakshmi Prasad J explores all this, and the importance and position of agrahāras in the ancient dharmik economy, in the first part of this series.
A Decade for Mandirs Volume II-Pragmatic Strategies for Restoring Hindu Temples
Sandeep Singh’s 'A Decade for Mandirs - Volume II' continues from his first volume, focussing on practical strategies for reclaiming and restoring Hindu temples. Singh critiques the state's deep-rooted anti-mandir bias and judicial meddling in temple matters. He advocates for reclaiming deity rights, respecting pujaris, and reviving cultural traditions. This volume is both a call to action and a detailed roadmap for Hindus to protect and rejuvenate their spiritual heritage.
Shall non-Brahmins become temple priests?
The discipline and devotion needed to become a Hindu temple priest is a lifelong responsibility not to be taken lightly.
Muhammad Ghori – No More Than Yet Another Barbaric Invader
Ila Krishna counters the arguments presented by Anirudh Kanisetti in his latest article and explores the truth about his claims of Ghori's leniency towards Hindus in general and Prithiviraja Chauhan's kin in particular, and his propagation of Sanskrit and coins with inscriptions of Goddess Lakshmi in Bharata.
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Caste-System – Pointers for the social media world
A poor understanding of the caste system puts Indians on the backfoot as they fumble when the topic is brought up.
Temples of Tamil Nadu: Ancient Glories and current state of affairs – Part 1
Tamil Nadu's ancient architectural marvels have been at the mercy of the state for far too long.
The tricky issue of religious conversion and proselytization in India(Part II)
The Balagangadhara school maintains that the problem of religion in India arises when we insist on converting our traditions more into religions.
India’s take on the Individual vs. Collective
The Indic perspective throws light on how the tussle between the individual and collective is in fact inconsequential.
Kanwar Yatra – A first person perspective
Kanwar Yatra is one of the great spontaneous expressions of devotion of Hindu society which has numerous benefits to offer, both in the material as well as the spiritual realm.
Re-examining Sabarimala
As the Supreme Court refers the Sabarimala case to a larger bench, thereby giving a foot in the door to the devotees, it is time to grasp the essential ideas that make the case for the tradition so compelling and unignorable.
The Saptarshi explain their names – Part I
The seven rishis as the progenitors of Sanatana Dharma have a much deeper meaning attached to them.
What could the new PREAMBLE of India’s Constitution be?
India's Preamble doesn't have any terms or concepts which have helped sustain this civilization since its birth.
Padmanabhaswamy Temple verdict – What it means for the Hindu society
A summary of the Padmanabhaswamy verdict and the progress made by Hindu society on the issue of Temple autonomy as a direct consequence of the historic judgement.
The Evolution of Early Writing in India
Writing evolved through different phases as the Indus-valley civilization matured and spread.
