A temple in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Canada, is enhancing vigilance after complaints and bigoted attacks on social media related to a giant statue of Lord Hanuman being constructed on its premises.
A 55-foot-tall statue of the Hindu deity Hanuman is being built at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton and is set to be unveiled in April next year to mark Hanuman Jayanti. The statue is 95% complete, with some work on the pedestal remaining, according to a temple priest.
“There is security at our temple, and we will be keeping watch at night as well,” Phool Kumar Sharma, a priest at the temple, told the HT on Friday.
He said there have been complaints from the people to the administration and also bashing on social media by some people who are unhappy about the construction of the statue.
Sharma, however, said that the statue is entirely being funded through donations on the premises of the temple and did not violate any municipal norms.
On social media posts, Sharma said, “What they are saying is an attack on our religion and that is wrong.”
The statue is being created by Rajasthan sculptor Naresh Kumawat. Kumawat, known for his expertise in sculpting Hindu deities, has erected over 200 statues across 80 countries.
Attacks on social media condemning the construction of the statue began earlier this week, with a handle posting about it that this was “another reminder that we need an immediate halt on all immigration into Canada.”
“That’s quite excessive and will undoubtedly be an eye-sore that people who have nothing to do with this temple or Hindu culture will have to see every day. They could have been a little more respectful about the size,” read another post.
“Canada is a white Christian country. You can leave. Zero immigration and repatriation asap,” was yet another reaction.
Many were in response to posts from Ottawa-based commentator Rupa Subramanya, who had criticized the original post for its Hinduphobic content.
“The barrage of dehumanizing, bigoted and racist hate messages I am receiving from so-called freedom-loving Canadians merely for standing up for the rule of law is quite extraordinary. Imagine a statue can trigger this kind of reaction, that too from a religion that is non-threatening and non-proselytizing,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
Montreal-based political analyst Anthony Koch supported the right of the temple to have the statue, as he posted, “Privately funded and situated on private property. Nothing wrong with this. Hindus are allowed to build religious monuments on land that they own, same as anyone else.”
The uproar over the statue comes amid the trends of growing anti-immigration sentiment in Canada as well as that of escalating Hinduphobia.
Notably, Brampton has witnessed many pro-Khalistan activities in the recent past.
In July, posters “War Zone”, targeting Indian diplomats in Canada surfaced outside outside the Bharat Mata Mandir in Brampton.
In November, pro-Khalistani elements held protests at a consular camp for issuing life certificates to the Indian government pensioners.
In February, the Ram Mandir in Mississauga city was vandalised with anti-India slogans.
