Sabka Malik Ek V/s Anek: Sai Baba Temple`Patna

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- SABKA MALIK EK v/s ANEK -
SAI BABA TEMPLE`PATNA



There are 2 Temples adjacent to each other in Lohianagar locality of Patna city in Bihar.
1) 'Sri Sai Shiv Kripa Mandir': meant for devotees wishing to pay obeisance to Sai Baba of Shirdi
2) 'Panch-Mandir': where devotees can worship as many as 17 Hindu deities.

While the Sai Temple on an average generates a revenue of Rs.5 lakh per month through donations,
the Panchmandir's monthly income does not even cross the Rs.1.4 lakh mark.

This betrays the increasing faith of devotees in the Shirdi's saint compared to traditional deities.

In July`2010, when a new treasurer was appointed for the Shri Sai Shiv Kripa Mandir Trust,
it had a bank balance of Rs.11 lakh only and today it has a fixed deposit of Rs.50 lakh, which matures
in July`2013 to become Rs.1 crore. It also has another fixed deposit of Rs.20 lakh made in April`2013.
So in all the Sai Temple's assets including cash by the end of July`2013 will be around Rs 1.2 crore and that is
after spending about Rs.35 lakh on the maintenance & renovation of the Temple besides establishment cost.

The income of Rs.5 lakh per month does not include the offerings in kind like gold & silver ornaments for Sai Baba.
The Temple committee also spent Rs.3.75 lakh on the installation of Golden metallic dome bought from Bengaluru
& Rs.2 lakh on the installation of Closed-Circuit televisions with 22 cameras on all the 3 floors of the Sai Temple.
While the prayer room at the temple is Air-conditioned and Baba's bedroom has an Air-cooler.
Inaugurated on 27th July`2001, the Sai temple grew into a 3-storey building in the last 11 years.



The neighboring 'Panch Mandir' which is 30 years old, but still remains a double-storey structure.
Unlike the Sai temple, the Panch Mandir has neither CCTVs nor AC rooms.

"Sai Temple has only 1 deity and huge income.
They can afford to arrange AC room for their only deity.
We have 17 deities and less income.
How can we arrange AC rooms for all our deities?"
"We can't afford AC rooms for our deities," said Panch-Mandir's head priest.

As against Rs 1.2 crore worth deposits made by the Sai Temple Trust,
the Panch-Mandir Trust has made fixed deposit of only R.5.5 lakh.
But since June`2012 they have started saving Rs.50,000 per month after the
Panch-Mandir Trust's Chairperson asked them to learn from the neighboring Sai Temple.

Source: www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com










"If gOd's start cOmpeting against each Other,
wOnder which gOd will THE gOd himself believe in ?"






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