Power and dynamics of the Religious top guns !!

Read this link for a better understanding . .

Mata gives Rs 100 crore to tsunami victims

The tone is primarily a very humanitarian approach. In fact, for the present time, the biggest donation promised by an individual for the relief work in India. Now if you are wondering on the aim of the institution and the money associated with it, then

Welcome to the land of money loaded religious institutions . . where god and money play into the hands of the feeble looking saints and astrologers, who according to the Hindu tradition have left the materialistic world and live for people !! So much for spirituality.

I guess I am not here trying to show them in a bad way or anything like that. But this is to just to point out the places of one of the power centres through which you can get done majority of things which otherwise would require connections at the high places at the correct time, with a lot of monetary aspects.
I dont contradict the fact that this route is free of any financial implications. But the donation and offerings here serve two purpose - firstly yours for which you paid for, and another is you can disguise as a Sec 80 something which saves you tax and enhances your spiritual image and social image as well. so infact 3 birds with a single stone. This is not a new trend by any means, India in fact has been famous with the invaders and the historians for having unimaginably rich temples which was savoured by the likes of Mohammed Ghazni and other warriors from the North-West regions of Asia. Travellers from China and Europe came all the way to see the glory. Our Mythological serials show the splendour of kings offering large pearl necklaces, gold coins and other jewelled treasures to god. Faith you call it, I would agree. Tradition has been of offering money and other stuff , since the temples used to serve as mass kitchens for the needy and poor, we have many temples still doing that. The maintainence of the temple was taken care by this funding.
I believe, ever since the caste system arrived from the Vedic Age and with one specific caste taking control of the temple activities, it started serving as a connection to the royalty and high authorities by virtue of the donations and other visits by the elite class. Favourism with something in return in a disguised form was even a better option, and slowly you had rich people who actually had left the materiailistic world, with power which they would have found hard to achieve by being in the normal "karmic world".
Some of you would dismiss me as a pessimistic, but I would say, what is with the commercialisation of the temples and religious institutions, probably a 100 % Tax FREE income !! I am not aware of Taxes on Temples as of now.
Coming to the political powers they have access to and control, many examples of the sort of "Chandraswami","Sai Baba - Puttaparthy" come to mind, what else can you visualise when the so called democratic head and rulers of the nation bow to your feet with devotion. What I can see is, copious money flow from the unaccounted business of all well-to-do and other nefarious elements. Quick jack to promotions, transfers, firing, safety from the law enforcement agencies, possibly making you virtually "UNTOUCHABLE" i.e. by law and common people I mean. You wish it , they will do it.
There are many positive aspects to it without doubt. More blessed are those who are in vicinity of these institutions and temples. Business flourish near these places, selling at exhobirant prices suggests these are non-questionable, whether it's over MRP or double the price. Coz they have the "hand of the god" above them, so who dare question their business process ??

More on this later . . . .