To say Shaivite not Hindu like saying Catholic not Christian: Karan Singh enters Chola row

The controversy over Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan: Part One which depicts the life of king Raja Raja Chola has deepened with former Member of Parliament Dr Karan Singh joining the debate on whether Chola was a Hindu king, on Friday, October 7. 

In a release, Karan Singh said that he was 'astounded' to hear that the great emperor was not a Hindu king, and reasoned that Shiva was a 'primordial Hindu deity,  focus of intense devotion for millions over the millennia from Srinagar down to Rameshwaram.' Singh said that the emperor built one of the greatest Shiva temples which he referred to as 'marvels of architecture',  and especially pointed out the great BrihadeeswaraTemple in Thanjavur, where he claimed to have worshipped many times. 

"To say that he was a Shaivite, not a Hindu, is like saying someone is a Catholic but not a Christian. These semantic gymnastics in a way denigrate and confuse our great religion and are not acceptable," Singh said in the release.

'In a way denigrate & confuse our religion' 

The former Parliamentarian further went on to explain his point, saying, "The word Hindu may have gained traction later, but Shiva and Vishnu, Hanuman and Ganesha, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali, have all been part of what we call Santan Dharma for millennia. Let us not again try and create a division between Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism, the three main streams of the great Hindu religion which has a billion followers around the world."

'Raja Raja Chola was not Hindu' controversy 

A day after the release of the film 'Ponniyin Selvan: 1', National Award-winning filmmaker Vetrimaalan sparked a row by claiming that Raja Raja Chola was not a Hindu. Vetrimaalan blamed BJP, saying, "They have already tried to saffronise Thiruvalluvar. We should never allow that. Tamil Nadu remains a secular state, resisting external forces."

The controversy snowballed, when actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan supported Vetrimaaran's statements and said, "There was Vainavam, Shivam, and Samanam, and it was the British who coined the term Hindu since they didn't know how to refer to it collectively. It is similar to how they changed Thuthukudi into Tuticorin."