Temple treasures belong to royal family : Sankaracharya

The Golden Padmanabha of Sree Padmanabha Temple of Thiruvananthapuram

(News Bharati.) Kanchipuram (TN), Negated any other option, the Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi stated that the huge treasures, near Rupees 100000 crores in current valuation as found in Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram were the “exclusive property” of Travancore royal family that dedicated their kingdom to the presiding deity of the temple.

“”For long the erstwhile royal family was the custodian of the temple and they dedicted their kingdom to Lord Sree Padmanabhaswamy.The treasures were offerings made by erstwhile rulers to the temple, hence the recoveries belonged to the royal family”, he told PTI here.

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“However, the treasures should be kept in the temple cellars itself”, he said.

The cellars of the temple, closed for several decades, were ordered to be opened by the Supreme Court to prepare inventory while considering a private petition recently.

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The deity of Padmanabha Swami Temple is the family deity of Travancore royal family. Members of the erstwhile royal family had dedicated their kingdom to the deity and pledged that they will live as servants of Padmanabha. The Shrine is run by a trust floated by the Travnacore royal house.Vast collection of gold, silver, precious stones and priceless jewellery were discovered in the cellars of the temple while preparing the inventory.” [e PTI News].

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Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Kamkoti Peetham hinted the tradition of Sanatana Bharat, where the many ancient Hindu Kingdoms were operated by the King under the dictum of the Guru (Mentor-Path Finder)and as a servant of the People and People’s God. The people and the King of Travnacore enriched this ancient temple as the richest Hindu Deity in this world so far.

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The Travancore royal family did follow the tradition to be the servant of Lord Padmanabh here. Sankaracharya of Kanchi Mutth reminded the glorious past of Hindu dynasty of King Janaka under the blessings of Saint Yagyavalkya, King Vikramaditya under the teachings of Kautilya, King Harihar and Bukku with the inspiration of Vidyaranya Swami or Chatrapati Shivaji offered everything to Devi Bhavani and Samrath Guru Ramdas Swami.

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The Sankaracharya vehemently opposed the present Govt.’s attitude to denounce the Sanatana Hindu Dharma by some of its key functionaries in Congress and the tendency to grab Temple Properties of Hindus through an unprecedented pro-activeness for the last 10 years.

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The Kanchi seer advocated in favour of keeping the unearthed 100000 crore treasury as temple property under the sacred authority of Travancore royal family.

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Undoubtedly, decedents of this Kingdom think themselves as the servant of Lord Padmanabha and they did not stashed any thing out side the Temples or in any Swiss Bank. Actually, the British snatched many things invaluable for Britain from India. One stone harmonium of this Padmanabha Temple was transported by the British to Britain illegally.

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The world famous Kohinoor Diamond was also grabbed by the English Men near Agra, when it was being trasported to Lord Jagannath of Puri by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, after he understood the possible aggression of the Brtish rulers throuhout India. [eAgencies]

TURKEY: TWO DEPUTIES PROPOSE TROUSERS FOR WOMEN MPs

(ANSAmed) - ANKARA, JULY 8 - Two Turkish parliamentarians proposed amendment to parliamentary bylaw to allow women deputies to wear trousers during Parliamentary General Assembly meetings, as Anatolia news agency reports. Justice & Development (AK) Party deputies Ihsan Sener and Sibel Gonul presented the proposal to Parliament Speaker's Office on Thursday. Under the proposal, women deputies can wear trousers and jackets besides suits. It amends Article 56 of the bylaw, which states ''women deputies wear suits'', as ''women deputies wear suits or jacket and trousers''. The reason for the proposal is to let women deputies wear more comfortable clothes during long and exhausting General Assembly meetings.

Bersih 2.0: Attempt to deliver memo fails

Print media attacks Bersih, praises cops

Barisan Nasional’s print media claimed today that the police succeeded in foiling Bersih yesterday. — file pic

 

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — Barisan Nasional’s print media moved quickly today to contain the damage from yesterday’s Bersih rally, claiming that the police succeeded in foiling the electoral reform movement which it accused of disturbing the peace and heightening tensions.

Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia front-paged the 1,401 arrests, which included Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang under the headline “Police efforts succeed.”

“Preventive measures by the police succeeded in foiling the illegal Bersih gathering from meeting at Stadium Merdeka.

“The troublemakers finally dispersed at 5pm, but police continued to be stationed at certain locations and roadblocks were maintained to ensure peace was returned,” the Malay daily wrote in its Mingguan Malaysia Sunday edition.

Both Berita Harian and New Straits Times (NST), controlled by Umno under the Media Prima group, slammed the electoral reform movement for bringing chaos to the city.

“Supporters of the illegal Bersih 2.0 gathering emerged from all directions in the capital yesterday from unknown hiding places, causing the situation to become tense,” Berita Harian reported.

The NST’s Sunday edition front-paged a picture of a protestor in the act of throwing an object with the headline “Peaceful?”

Its op-ed pages also accused the coalition of 62 NGOs of “wrecking the weekend” and of being a political rally with nothing to do with electoral reform.

MCA’s The Star also lamented that “if every complaint made one or the other party take to the streets, bringing a city to a standstill, people would not be getting much work done” in an editorial today.

Bersih had claimed a turnout of 50,000 for their street demonstration which went ahead without police permission.

The coalition of 62 NGOs decided to take to the streets despite previously accepting Najib’s offer to move the street rally to a stadium after the government refused to allow the gathering to take place in Stadium Merdeka.

With the whole of Kuala Lumpur locked down for nearly 24 hours, the government has sought to blame the demonstrators for the disturbance and ensuing economic impact.

However, the majority of urbanites on social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, have laid the blame on heavy-handed police action, who set up roadblocks, shut down rail stations, and fired tear gas and water cannons in efforts to quell the gathering.

In Bersih, an elusive Malaysian unity appears

Bersih may have declared yesterday’s rally as multi-ethnic but it now has to overcome the stigma painted by the federal 

government and BN-aligned media. — file pic

 

ANALYSIS, July 10 — A brief commotion at an LRT station showed off the Bersih 2.0 rally’s young, multi-racial face.

National laureate and Bersih icon Datuk A Samad Said was mobbed by Indian and Chinese Malaysian youths as he appeared to board the train home.

“Please take a picture with us Pak Samad, you are our hero,” said a young Indian Malaysia youth who came to KL to watch the rally. His place was then taken by two other Chinese youths who wanted their own pictures with the national poet.

Bersih or the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections may have declared that the rally attracted a multi-ethnic crowd of all ages but the movement still has a huge obstacle to overcome — the stigma that has been painted by the federal government and the Barisan Nasional (BN)-aligned media.

Of particular worry are the people in non-urban areas whom Pakatan Rakyat parties, such as PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat, are courting ahead of the next general elections.

Bersih is a civil society-led movement but it has solid backing from PR parties who have historically complained that the BN games elections.  

Though Bersih has been hugely successful in deepening and expanding support among urbane professionals of all races, it is still viewed suspiciously by those in the rural areas.

Such sentiments would spread from the movement itself to the political parties that support it.
PAS grassroots activists, for instance, were pumped up and made it to the rally in thousands. But they privately worry about how the electoral reform movement has been demonised.

“Even my husband didn’t want to come because he watched the news and thought it would be dangerous,” said a Pahang PAS activist who requested anonymity. In the end, the matronly retiree attended the rally with her 18-year-old daughter.

“People who watch the nightly news will definitely think negatively of Bersih. They aren’t as exposed,” says the activist.  

According to a Johor PAS activist who wanted to be known as Faizul, the news reports of weapon caches found with Bersih T-shirts have been particularly damaging.

“Village folk tend to believe what is being shown without really thinking whether it makes sense. Who would put weapons caches and advertise their identity at the same time? It’s illogical,” says Faizul from Batu Pahat.

There were a string of news reports in the days leading up to the rally about police finding caches of parangs, knives and Molotov cocktails in several areas of the city. The bundles were hidden with piles of Bersih T-shirts.

Though the police have yet to determine whom the bundles belonged to, the discoveries implied that there were disruptive elements out to hijack the rally.

Merdeka Centre head Ibrahim Suffian believes Bersih and the ensuing government reponse have polarised Malaysians of all stripes.

“For Pakatan Rakyat supporters, it has just increased their scepticism of the (BN-ruled) government. For those who are pro-government, it has hardened their belief that the PR is out to cause trouble.”

Ibrahim believes that the rally will have an effect on the electorate even though for now, its campaign resonates only with non-governmental organisations and political parties.

“It’s a KL-centric issue. But it will be fodder for both political coalitions in the coming days and each will use it to their advantage.”

One participant, however, cautioned against putting too much faith in the traditional media — state television and BN-owned papers — to shape opinion.

“The fact is Utusan Malaysia is not selling as much as it used to. No one reads it anymore,” says Wahab, an activist who works in a government agency.

“The larger fact that you cannot ignore is that the government mounted a month-long campaign in the build-up to Bersih. There were roadblocks all over the place, people were getting arrested because of wearing Bersih T-shirts.

“But despite all that, people showed up in the thousands. This is a sign of how successful it’s been,” And as Faizul and Esah, showed, Bersih’s supporters came from as far as Johor and Pahang — two states which have been traditionally pro-BN.

IGP: Police Had No Choice But To Fire Tear Gas, Water Cannons

(Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR -- Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar said the situation in the federal capital became peaceful again about 5pm yesterday after the group participating in the illegal rally dubbed 'Bersih 2.0' had dispersed.

He said that in the incident, police had detained 1,401 people including 13 children and 115 women.

However, he said police were still monitoring the situation around the federal capital before reopening the roadblocks to ensure that those who had joined the rally did not regroup.

"I have directed the Kuala Lumpur Acting Police Chief (Amar Singh) to carry out a surveillance to ensure that the crowd do not return. We will only remove the barricades after the surveillance reveals that the situation is satisfactory.

"If possible, I want to remove the roadblocks now but we have to monitor until everything have truly ended," he told reporters at a media conference at Bukit Aman, here.

Ismail said about 6,000 people had participated in the illegal rally which had assembled at two locations namely Puduraya and outside the Merdeka Stadium.

"They had started to assemble before 2pm at Puduraya before moving towards Dataran Merdeka although they had been advised by police to disperse earlier," he said.

However, he said the advice was ignored which left the police with no choice but to fire the tear gas and water cannons.

On those who were detained, Ismail said police had provided a detention area at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) and they were well treated and given food and medical care for those who were injured.

He said for those who were detained, an investigation would be carried out as soon as possible and they would be released immediately upon the conclusion of investigation depending on the case.

However, police had yet to determine the number of those who were injured during the incident, he said.

Ismail said most of those who had participated in the rally had come from outside Kuala Lumpur, including from the East Coast.

Meanwhile, Ismail said he regretted that the rally, which aimed to demand for a clean election had been inserted with elements propagated by the 'reformasi' group (started by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim).

"In the police observation, we find that there were people shouting 'reformasi'. Why shout 'reformasi' as though (they) wanted a repeat of the rally held in the year 2000, whereas they say they are demanding for a clean election?", he said.

On the report that Anwar was said to have been injured after being hit by tear gas, Ismail said he was not certain because Anwar was not present at both the locations of the rally.

However, he confirmed that Anwar was not detained.

In another development, the organiser of the illegal rally, S. Ambiga, who was detained at the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters, had been released at about 6.30 yesterdayevening.

Ambiga was seen leaving the police headquarters after her statement had been recorded.

Meanwhile, PAS assistant secretary-general Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad confirmed that six other leaders from PAS and Bersih who were also detained at the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters were to be released before 9pm.

He said the leaders concerned included PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Maria Chin Abdullah, Nurul Iman Anwar and Jun Labis, whose statements were being taken.

The Royal Malaysia Police facebook also listed several other leaders including Umno Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin, Beruas Member of Parliament Ngeh Kor Ham and Subang MP Subang R.Sivarasah as those who were detained.

(Bernama)

Hisham: King's advice not heeded

(NST) - KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has criticised the Bersih 2.0 organisers for carrying out their street rally despite the concerns voiced by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
"It is clear that the group responsible for organising the rally did not respect the advice of Tuanku Mizan, which is to hold it in a contained area rather than in the streets."

Hishammuddin expressed satisfaction at the way police handled the situation in the face of provocation from the demonstrators.
The prompt action by the police, he said, had prevented bloodshed and the loss of lives.
"Those involved in the rally were clearly intent on causing chaos in the country. They were also hoping to be detained by authorities so that the government would be portrayed in a bad light."

Hishammuddin expressed relief that the demonstrators did not use any weapons, bombs or chemical materials, following the seizures of hidden caches of such items by police last week.

"Even till the very end, Bersih 2.0 organisers did not take the initiative to rally peacefully at a contained location, despite assurances from the government that they could gather at any stadium outside the capital.

"The government has the utmost confidence in the nation's security forces to uphold internal security and public order.

"I am confident that they acted within the ambit of the law. It was clear that the organisers lost control of the situation (yesterday).
"The cries of 'Reformasi' also showed the involvement of opposition leaders in the rally."

Hishammuddin said opposition leaders should be held responsible for the rally, which had resulted in several unfortunate incidents that police quickly got under control.

Malaysia’s Anwar Injured In Rally: Aide

Records By Reuters


Channel News Asia

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim suffered a bruise on his head and a cut on his leg Saturday after police fired tear gas on protesters demanding poll reform ahead of general elections.

Anwar was brought to the Pantai Hospital in an ambulance along with his bodyguard who was also injured, an aide told AFP.

A. Xavier Jayakumar, a legislator allied with Anwar’s party, said he and other opposition leaders together with hundreds of protesters were gathered at a train station in the capital Kuala Lumpur when police fired tear gas.

“There was panic… Anwar fell down and hit his head against the concrete pavement,” Jayakumar said at the hospital.

“People also stepped on his leg. He sustained a bruise to his head and a cut on his left leg,” he added.
“Anwar is very shaken up because of the fall and because of the gas.”

Malaysia’s national police chief Ismail Omar said 1,401 people had been arrested, although Anwar was not one of them.

Jayakumar said Anwar was “OK” although doctors want him to stay overnight so that they can monitor his condition.

The injured bodyguard however had to undergo minor surgery after he was hit in the left eye by a tear gas canister, another Anwar supporter said.

- AFP/ir

709 Bersih Rally

1,667 were arrested, says IGP

The Star (Used by permission)

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 1,667 people were arrested for taking part in various rallies in the city, said Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar.

He said all those arrested, including 151 women and 16 children, were taken to the police training centre (Pulapol) in Jalan Semarak where they were fed and given medical treatment.

“I was told that there are allegations of high-handedness and police brutality by certain people. I urge those making such allegations to lodge reports and we will act against any policeman if these were found to be true,” he said.

By 11pm, all those detained were released.

Besides Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, those picked up included PKR's Gombak MP Azmin Ali, Subang MP R. Sivarasa and Batu MP Tian Chua, and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, his deputy Mohamad Sabu and vice-presidents Mahfuz Omar and Salahuddin Ayub.

Ismail also attributed the smooth crowd control to systematic and professional policing, adding that the number this time was not as large as the gathering for the 2007 Bersih rally due to the steps taken.

“We used very minimum amount of tear gas to disperse the crowd,” he said, adding that although the demonstrators started gathering at around 9am, their numbers only grew by 2pm.

Ismail also said roadblocks mounted by the police were lifted by 7pm.

He also denied allegations that the police team had fired tear gas into the Tung Shin Hospital grounds to disperse crowds gathered there.

In Perak, five men, believed to be on their way to join the Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur, were arrested at two separate places.

Batu Gajah OCPD Asst Comm Najib Mohamad said police nabbed four men at the Batu Gajah railway station at 11am yesterday and seized several bags of salt packets believed for use during the rally. They were later released.

In Ipoh, state CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Mohd Dzuraidi Ibrahim said a man with Bersih 2.0 T-shirt was picked up at the Medan Gopeng bus station at 9.40pm on Friday.

In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib said three people, aged between 28 and 39, planning to hold a similar Bersih 2.0 rally here were detained at a roadblock at Kg Muhibbah in Tuaran at 3.30pm.

Imelda Rosmah dan cincin nilai RM24.4 juta

Ingatkah kita dengan sejarah Imelda Marcos, wanita no.1 Filipina. Satu ketika dahulu negara itu sama tarafnya khusus dalam bidang ekonomi dengan kebanyakan negara rantau ini termasuk Malaysia. Namun negara itu hancur kerana rasuah yang tak terbendung. Lebih cepat kehancurannya kerana wujudnya wanita pertama yang rakus , Imelda, maka negara tersebut seperti tak mampu lagi bangkit hingga kini.

Ketika rakyat susah Imelda berbelanja mewah. Namun bila rakyat bangkit beliau dan suaminya terpaksa hidup dalam buangan.

Dalam negara ini kita telah ada tokoh yang lebih 'menggila dari itu'... Ketika rakyat susah Imelda Malaysia terus bermewah. Seperti di Filipina ketika dulu juga wajah Imelda Malaysia ini juga diwajahkan dengan perbagai propaganda untuk menipu rakyat. Dan jika ada rakyat yang masih bangkit melawan maka akan dilabel perbagai gelaran negatif dan akan berdepan tindakan undang-undang.

Di bawah ini lihatlah 'print screen' dari sistem Kastam. Pembelian cincin belian bernilai RM24.4 juta... Ia dibawa masuk tanpa sebarang cukai !!!

Imelda Malaysia sila jawab dan jelaskan... Ayuh Bangkit Rakyat !!

Malaysia cracks down on protesters

Police in Malaysia have fired tear gas and arrested hundreds of protesters in the biggest opposition-backed rally in years.

More than 20,000 demonstrators massed across Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, demanding electoral reforms, activists said.

The federal police force arrested 1,400 people in a clampdown called Operation Erase Bersih, referring to the Bersih coalition, the group that organised the rally.

Those arrested included several senior opposition officials.

Ambiga Sreenavasan, head of the Bersih coalition, said that the suppression of the protests had "stirred a sense of outrage against the exhibition of raw power by our government".

"What is the necessity for a show of might against right? No matter what, right will always prevail," she said.

Prime Minister Najib Razak's government had declared the demonstration illegal, and police had sealed off parts of the capital in advance, warning those who took part in demonstrations that they would face "stern action".

Witnesses said riot police armed with batons charged at some protesters and dragged them into trucks.

Strict security measures

Authorities took extraordinary security measures to deter the rally by closing train stations and deploying lorries mounted with water cannons near the Independence Stadium in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur, where activists sought to gather.

Nevertheless, thousands tried to reach the stadium from various parts of the capital, chanting "Long live the people" and carrying yellow balloons and flowers as they marched.

Police fired numerous rounds of tear gas and chemical-laced water in repeated attempts to disperse the crowds, causing demonstrators to scatter into nearby buildings.

Helicopters flew overhead as a brief downpour failed to deter the protesters.

Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader, said he had sustained a "minor injury" when his group was hit by tear gas.

"We were attacked from both corners but what was horrifying is that the police shot directly at the protesters, some of them clearly aimed at me personally, so my security assistants had to cover me and one was badly injured because the canister was shot direct, he is badly injured," Anwar told the Associated Press news agency.

"This is a simple portrayal of the extent of desperation of brutal action approved by the Prime Minister Najib."

Government officials accuse Anwar's three-party alliance of endorsing the rally to cause chaos on the streets and undermine the National Front, the federal ruling coalition.

Electoral reforms

The rally organisers called for reforms following accusations that the Malaysian election commission is biased towards the ruling coalition, which has been in power since independence from Britain in 1957. The commission denies the charge.

The government insists the current electoral policies are evenhanded.

Over the past two weeks, more than 200 other activists have been arrested nationwide for trying to promote the rally.

Earlier, speaking to Al Jazeera over phone from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Edmund Bon, a human-rights lawyer, said: "It's an extraordinary clampdown on the whole [city] and we are not allowed to go anywhere.

"People are getting arrested on the streets and about 250 to 300 people have been arrested so far in connection with the rally.”

The activists' demands include an overhaul of voter registration lists, tougher measures to curb fraud and fairer opportunities for opposition politicians to campaign in government-linked media.

A general election is not due until 2013 but Najib has not ruled out early polls, after economic growth accelerated to a 10-year high in 2010.

Major street demonstrations are rare in this Southeast Asian country, but the rise of alternative media channels and a growing opposition voice are gradually creating a more vocal Malaysian public.