MEMBERS of the Malvern Hindu Temple were shocked to discover that their place of worship had been vandalised.
The pithu is set in a secluded part of the field on Park Road and Venny Govender, a member at the temple, said it did not make any sense to him why anyone would go out of their way to destroy their holy place.
“They threw a lot of stones and they broke the mound that was growing there. It’s very sad, this is a sacred place to all of us because it also houses a snake and as a result, a lot of people have a lot of faith in it,” Govender explained.
The vandals damaged these mounds and stripped off the pieces of fabric they were adorned with. “These are saris that were donated by devotees,” he added. According to Govender, the pithu is frequented by more than 100 people monthly.
In a space of two years, this has been the second time the pithu has been under attack and Govender appealed to residents to be respectful of the culture of others.
“Religious tolerance is very important, we should respect each other’s beliefs. So many Hindus in Malvern, Durban and throughout the world worship at the pithu sites. We should respect that,” he said.
