Era of neglect of temples is behind us, says EAM Jaishankar in Varanasi

S Jaishankar said that temples are "keepers of our culture and history" and the Modi govt is focused on creating, rebuilding and restoring India's rich traditions for the benefit of the entire world

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said that temples are "keepers of our culture and history" and the Modi government is focused on creating, rebuilding and restoring India's rich traditions for the benefit of the entire world.

Stressing that the era of "neglect of temples is behind us", he said that the "wheel of history is turning, it is coming back. It is the rise of India".

"It is not enough just to hold our own, we have to promote, present, we have to take our culture to the rest of the world," Jaishankar said, stressing that the Modi government is committed to ensuring Indian culture and heritage gets the right place.

He was addressing the Kashi Tamil Sangamam on the subject 'contribution of temples in society and nation building' being held here.

Global rebalancing is being expressed in culture as much as in politics and economics. A truly democratic and pluralistic world order must see a full expression of India's heritage, abroad as much as at home, Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Throwing light on rebalancing, he said, "Yesterday I spoke at the Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalaya about rebalancing. How the world is no longer completely western. The world today has many cultures, many societies and many people.

"I spoke about political rebalancing which started after independence and economic rebalancing. But rebalancing will only happen if there is cultural rebalancing. Our faith, our belief, our culture must get recognition, must get its due place in the rest of the world. That is our commitment to all of you."

Temples are keepers of our culture and history. They are centres of knowledge and promoters of arts and crafts, he said.

"The cultural diplomacy of the Modi Government is focused on creating, rebuilding and restoring our rich traditions for the benefit of the entire world. This is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam," Jaishankar said.

In his opening remarks, the minister said, "As foreign minister, I want to share with you some thoughts about the role of temples in the world, because I deal every day with the world...you all know temples are not just place for faith and worship, they are social community centres, places of gathering, they are centres of knowledge, of culture, they are promoters of art and craft.

"They are the focus of economic activity. But, most of all, they are the keepers of our heritage and keepers of our history. They are our way of life. As professor Krishnakant Sharma said that we will not be who we are without the temples."

"In the world, there are many ups and downs, sometimes history has been a problem for us. Today, those circumstances, which made temples, their maintenance, and the building of temples abroad difficult in the past, that is no longer the case.

"But, at the same time, we have to worry about globalisation. There can be one culture, which sometimes may not be very understanding of the temples, some global culture. But, even that is today changing," he said.

"People are understanding in the world that there are different nations, different societies, different people, different faiths, and each faith has to have its place in the world. But, we also have to deal with the competitive advancement of other beliefs and other cultures.

"So, how does one respond to that? I want to say to you today (that) it is not enough just to hold our own, we have to promote, present, we have to take our culture to the rest of the world," Jaishankar said.

The minister also informed that in the foreign ministry after the Modi government came, a separate division was created to look after the restoration, renovation and support of "our cultural heritage abroad".

"We must realise today that the wheel of history is turning, it is coming back. It is the rise of India. That era, where there was a neglect of temples, where things were adverse to us, that era is now behind us, it is behind us in India, it will be behind us where the world is concerned.

"We have to find different ways - government, experts, committed organisations, skills and talent of people, the average citizen -- how do we get together and make an effort, to revive the heritage in our country, how do we do it internationally," he said.

Earlier in the day, the External Affairs Minister visited the family of eminent poet and freedom fighter Subramania Bharathi on his birth anniversary.

The minister tweeted photographs of his meeting.

"Privileged to visit the family of Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi in Kashi on his birth anniversary today. Humbled to receive blessings and encouragement from his grandnephew Thiru K V Krishnan ji," Jaishankar said.

In his inaugural speech at the Kashi Tamil Sangamam on November 19 in his Lok Sabha constituency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, "There is a great personality from Tamil Nadu, Subramania Bharathi, a great poet and freedom fighter, who lived for a long time in Kashi and studied here."

He was connected to Kashi in a way that it became a part of him, the prime minister said.

"The BHU by establishing a chair dedicated to Subramania Bharathi has enhanced its pride," Modi had said.