A controversy has erupted in Gujarat over the “distorted depiction” of Hanuman sitting at the feet of Swaminarayan on a wall of a Hanuman temple at Salangpur in Botad district of the State.
Hindu religious leaders and several local outfits have raised their voice against the depiction and asked for the removal of the murals, which are made of cast metal and installed on the walls near the Hanuman statue at the temple.
These religious leaders have come out against the powerful Swaminarayan sect for depicting Lord Hanuman in a manner that is construed as demeaning. Some murals also depict Hanuman as bowing down to Swaminarayan or Sahajanand Swami, who came from Uttar Pradesh and founded the Swaminarayan sect in Gujarat in the 19th century.
