Varanasi: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday inaugurated the three-day world’s biggest International Temples Convention and Expo (ITCX)-2023 at Rudraksh International convention centre in Varanasi.
While addressing the convention, which was attended by the people associated with 465 temples in 32 countries and 750 virtually, Bhagwat said, “Temples are an important aspect of Sanatani tradition. There is a need to pass the legacy of temple service to the next generation for which education and awareness on temple ecosystems is important.”
He said there is a need to solidify every aspect of temple management whether it is hygiene, service or infrastructure. Focusing on cleanliness in temples, he said there is a need to imbibe moral values in the young generation through the temples.
The RSS chief praised the smooth management of Kashi Vishwanath temple and said that some temples are governed by the government efficiently and some are governed by private persons. “We need to connect every temple whether it is in the country or around the world,” he said.
He said that the process of sacrifice which involved violence has changed over the period of time and now it is done by breaking coconut. “Society is not dependent on nature and traditional kings. The king’s job is to operate. For this, we do not sleep by giving power, but give the fruits of their work in elections,” he said.
Founder of temple connect and ITCX, Giresh Kulkarni said that temple management has been the oldest and most important topic which has been handled since ages. He said this conference is an epitome of various sessions about devotion,system management and beyond that coming together learning and discussing with each other.
He said, “Temple connect is a platform dedicated to the documentation, digitalisation and distribution of information related to temples of Indian origin.”
Chairman of ITCX and a member of Maharashtra Legislative Council Prasad Lad said the history of temples in India is more than 5,000 years old and our religion has remained strong through the years.
Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ashwini Kumar Choubey also participated in the event. He said Pilgrims and temple tourism play an important role in overall development of tourism and contribute significantly to the Indian economy.
