The one relaxing thing I manage to do in Meenambalpuram each morning is read The Hindu, a most excellent English language newspaper. This morning, however, my blood pressure shot up to dangerous levels when I read a very small tidbit of news, snuck right in there on the second page. Do you have white skin? Do you want to see inside the Meenakshi temple, Madurai's most famous landmark? Then you'd better be prepared to shell out Rs. 50 to get inside starting on April 1st.
The article stated that the board of trustees decided that "foreign" (READ: "white") tourists will have to pay Rs. 50 to enter the "permitted areas" of the temple (READ: areas outside the inner sanctum where white people [and Muslims] are allowed) for viewing of "sculptures" and "artworks". When I first read this I was confused. What "sculptures" and "artworks" will these tourists exactly be seeing? There is already a museum on site which charges folks for seeing sculptures. Then I realized what they mean. The board of directors has screwdly reasoned that for foreigners, the sacred idols used for worship are mere "sculptures" or "artworks" and they are now prepared to charge accordingly.
Keep in mind, folks, that this is an ACTIVE temple. Meenakshi temple is not a museum. Oblivous foreigners treat it as such, and often enter the temple premises dressed in a very disrespectful manner. It is for this reason that I understand why they keep foreigners out of the inner sanctum. But why this additional white people tax? There is already a significant charge for taking photos and a very steep charge for taking video. The museum itself pulls in a lot of cash. So why this white people tax? It will be interesting to see how they enforce this. I imagine that they will post people at the entrance looking for white people and will then charge them to get in.
Of course, many may find it absurd that I would be so angry over the equivalent of $1.25 being charged to foreigners when this is nothing for them. This is true. But this charge seems outrageous to me, especially when there are already the aforementioned ways to get plenty of money out of the white tourists who come into the temple. What irks me is that while tourists from all over India and the rest of the world flock to Meenakshi temple by the thousands every day, it is going to be white ones who are going to have to pay. Maybe this is just desserts for centuries of colonialism. After all, white people (especially British ones), made off with tons of valuable Indian sculptures, jewels, etc. Perhaps we should have to start paying back for all the stuff that was stolen. But it still makes me feel pretty bad. Especially because I treat Meenakshi temple as a place for prayer and meditation, not as a tourist destination. It is the one place to go and sort of escape the madness (though the oppressive touts there make it difficult at times), and now I am going to be further marginalized in this place of worship for being a foreigner. It really ticks me off.
Recently a white man managed to enter a temple at Puri, in Orissa. There the temples are noted for being very restricted to foreigners and non-Hindus. For this reason I have never bothered to go there. But when it was noted on the security cameras that this "American" man had gotten into the temple, the priests went into an uproar, locked the temple, and threw prasad (holy food intended for devotees) worth hundreds of thousands of rupees into a hole and buried it. I myself, while praying along with everyone else, have been approached by police in one particular temple and told to step back and get away from the idol. In this context I am feeling particularly miffed right now. From now on I am going to stick to such temples as Mariamman and Karappusamy temples which don't discriminate against people of any color, caste, or class, as far as I can tell.
I am penning a letter, in Tamil, to the board of directors of Meenakshi temple explaining my outrage. Then I am going to write a snarky letter to the editor of The Hindu. And I am going to go to the temple on April 1st and I'm not going to pay the tax. We will see whether or not I get in.
If you think I am full of crap for my position on this, I am all ears.
2 comments:
If you want I can write a letter too. Or maube it means that you should come back to Philly!!!!!
Don't forget that in western (southern US) churches you are required to pay club dues if you want to be a member in good standing. That is, the more you pay, the higher your status and the more likely you are to get direct access to the pastor and deacons.
In colonial times you didn't attend church unless you bought a pew.
"Church" is a business worldwide , always has been.
Don't forget the buying of indulgences in the RC faith, etc.
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