Description

The Temple Paradox: How Secular Democracy Undermines Religious Freedom in India” is a rigorous scholarly examination of the historical and contemporary challenges facing Hindu temples under state control, arguing that India’s secular democratic framework has systematically eroded the autonomy, economic vitality, and civilizational role of these sacred institutions. Through detailed legal, historical, and economic analysis, the book traces the colonial origins of temple administration, critiques post-independence bureaucratic overreach and judicial interpretation, and highlights cases of land dispossession, financial diversion, and cultural neglect. It calls for a restoration of temple self-governance as essential to preserving India’s spiritual heritage, religious equality, and civilizational continuity, offering a model legislative framework aimed at empowering communities while ensuring transparency and accountability.