Prabodhankar thackeray autobiography

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7 September 2012. Nistula.

Baban Walke . Institute of Historical studies, Calcutta. Pushpa Prakashan. He accused Brahmins of leveraging religious authority to enforce untouchability and exclude non-Brahmins from sacred spaces, thereby perpetuating socio-economic dominance under the guise of dharma.^[29] In this framework, Brahminical philosophy was not timeless wisdom but a pragmatic tool for subjugating lower castes, with scriptures selectively interpreted to justify discrimination while ignoring egalitarian precedents in early traditions.

Drawing inspiration from Jyotiba Phule's Satyashodhak Samaj established in 1873, he critiqued Brahmin priesthood, termed "bhikshukshahi," as an internal threat to Hindu cohesion, arguing it perpetuated inequality through control of rituals and narratives. In works like Devalancha Dharma ani Dharmachi Devale (The Religion of Temples and the Temples of Religion), published in the early 20th century, Thackeray dissected Hindu temple-centric worship as a post-Buddhist development dating to the 2nd–3rd century CE, arguing it deviated from any purported original simplicity of Vedic traditions.^[29] He highlighted inconsistencies in religious texts, such as the Puranas, which he saw as later interpolations promoting idol worship and priestly intermediaries over direct ethical reasoning.^[28]Thackeray critiqued idol worship as mere superstition, equating temple deities to inanimate stones exploited for economic gain, with historical examples like the Somnath temple serving as repositories of wealth rather than sites of genuine piety.^[29] He contended that rituals and festivals reinforced psychological enslavement, diverting resources from communal welfare to priestly sustenance, and urged rational inquiry to distinguish exploitative customs from universal moral principles.

Milton Israel and N.K.Wagle.