Abbreviated VHP, is a Hindu right-wing organisation in India and is based on the ideology of Hindutva. It was founded in 1964 and its main objective is “to organise, consolidate the Hindu society and to serve, protect the Hindu Dharma.” The VHP belongs to the Sangh Parivar, an umbrella of Hindu nationalist organisations. It has been involved in social service projects, construction and renovation of Hindu temples and in issues such as cow slaughter, conversions to other religions, the Ayodhya dispute and its role in the Babri Masjid demolition. The VHP has been involved in converting Christian tribals to Hinduism, including some reports of forced conversions and violence in 2004 and 2008.
The VHP was founded in 1964 by Keshavram Kashiram Shastri.[5] The co-founders were the Hindu spiritual leader Chinmayananda, former RSS member S.S. Apte, Supreme Spiritual Head of the Namdhari Sikhs Satguru Jagjit Singh and Sikh leader Master Tara Singh.[6] Chinmayananda was nominated as its founding President, while Apte was nominated as its founding General Secretary.[6] It was decided at the meeting that the name of the proposed organization would be “Vishva Hindu Parishad” and that a world convention of Hindus was to be held at Prayag (Allahabad) during Kumbha Mela of 1966 for its launch. It was further decided that it would be a non-political organization and that no office bearer of any political party shall be simultaneously an office bearer in the Parishad.[citation needed]
The VHP, which considers Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs&nbs p;as part of the greater Hindu fraternity, officially mentions that it was founded by the “Saint Shakti of Bharat”. The VHP was first mooted at a conference in Pawai, Sandipani Sadhanalaya, Bombay on 29 August 1964. The conference was hosted by RSS chief M. S. Golwalkar. The date was chosen to coincide with the festival of Janmashtami. Several representatives from the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain faiths were present in the meeting, as well as the Dalai Lama.
Its main objective is “to organise, consolidate the Hindu society and to serve, protect the Hindu Dharma.” It has been involved in social service projects and in encouraging the construction and renovation of Hindu temples. It is against the caste system, opposes cow slaughter and conversions to other religions. The other main objective which it has been involved with is the Ayodhya dispute.
The VHP is associated with the Sangh Parivar, an umbrella of Hindu nationalist organisations which also includes the centre-right Indian political party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the right-wing organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Its slogan is Dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ, which means “Dharma protects its protector” and its symbol is the banyan tree. The current international president of VHP is Raghava Reddy, while its executive president is Praveen Togadia
