Varanasi: ‘No place for Sai Baba, only Shiva in Kashi,’ say sanatanis

Statues of Sai Baba were removed from multiple temples in Varanasi on Tuesday, 1 October, following a campaign launched by a group called the 'Sanatan Rakshak Dal'.

For example, the group removed a Sai Baba statue from the Bada Ganesh Temple here and placed it outside the temple premises.

Rammu Guru, the head priest of the temple, said, "Sai Baba was being worshipped without proper knowledge, which is forbidden according to scriptures."

Similarly, Shankar Puri, the head priest of the Annapurna Temple, said, "There is no mention of the worship of Sai Baba in the scriptures."

Ajay Sharma, state president of the Sanatan Rakshak Dal, said, "Only the worship of Lord Shiva, the supreme deity, should take place in Kashi (Varanasi)."

Statues of Sai Baba have already been removed from 10 temples, he claimed, "respecting the sentiments of devotees". In the coming days, statues will also be removed from the Agastyakunda and Bhuteshwar temples, he said.

The priest of the Sai Temple located in Sant Raghuvar Das Nagar in the city's Sigra area, Samar Ghosh, said: "Such acts are not right. They will hurt people's faith and spread discord in society."

Ghosh mentioned that the Sai Temple is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sai Baba devotees come to worship here every day.

"Particularly on Thursdays, around 4,000 to 5,000 devotees visit the temple to pay their respects," he said.

Vivek Srivastava, a Sai Baba devotee, said the removal of Sai Baba's statue is an extremely distressing event:

"This incident has hurt the faith of millions of Sai devotees. All gods are one. Everyone has the right to worship God in whichever form they believe."

Sai Baba, revered as a spiritual leader, is known for his teachings of love, forgiveness and charity, transcending religious boundaries.

Reacting to the developments, Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI, "It is unfortunate that the BJP and those supporting it have made religion a wrestling arena (akhara) of politics, which should not be done. Sanatan Dharm is a religion, which incorporates, imbibes and integrates all the good aspects of everyone (including other religions).

Spokesperson of the Samajwadi Party Sunil Singh Sajan said, "It seems that the BJP is the No. 1 player when it comes to (playing) with one's aasthaa (faith in gods)."

"Sai Baba has crores of followers. When the Constitution does not indulge in discrimination, then who are we to do so?," Sajan asked.

Sai Baba, revered as a spiritual leader, is known for his teachings of love, forgiveness, and charity, transcending religious boundaries.

On its website, the Shree Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi, states that Sai Baba is revered as one of the greatest saints ever seen in India, endowed with unprecedented powers, and is worshipped as a God incarnate ('Sai' meaning Sakshaat Ishwar, God the absolute).

‘This mysterious fakir first made his appearance in Shirdi as a youth and remained there throughout his long life. He transformed the lives of those who met him and continuously is doing so even after his Samadhi in 1918 for those whose hearts are touched by his love and who pray and call him at any emergency in life for his blessings,’ the website states.

The trust also mentions that an outstanding aspect of Sai Baba is that he is ‘beyond distinctions‘ of religion, caste or creed. He embodied all religions and preached the universal religion of love.

‘Devotees of all faiths find their meeting point in the Sai and people from all communities and all walks of life are united by the great love and reverence Baba inspires in them. Baba had great regard for his Hindu devotees and their Gurus and he responded to their needs and permitted worship according to the Hindu and other religious rituals. At the same time his dwelling place was a masjid (mosque) and the name of Allah was ever on his lips...,’ it added.