So overwhelming were the doubts and questions of the readers that the Roman Catholic Church, earlier this year was forced to issue a formal statement rubbishing the theories put forward about the church in Browns novel.

Though the subject is still being hotly debated across the world, certain aspects have remained relatively unknown. Among these is the fact that even in India there is a secret society that dates back to the last century. Special Correspondent Tanu Patni set out to shed light on this little known society and uncovered some truly eye-opening discoveries.

The original secret society that started in England in 1917 was known as the Freemasons, which is still the name used to this day. At the time England was gradually shrugging off the remnants of the dark ages and the period was marked by a frenzy of construction, mostly of churches. The builders were known as masons and were accorded special privileges. The most significant was the freedom with which they could move from one place to another which resulted in the term Freemasons.

When the construction phase diminished, elite members of the society took the place of masons, calling themselves speculative masons or Freemasons. The origin of their belief goes further back in history to the Biblical period of King Solomon. When his temple was being constructed, Hiram Abiff was murdered, which is essentially the story depicted in the Freemason ceremonies down the ages. The idea is that he gave up his life to protect the secrets.

Qualities like brotherly love, loyalty and other morals were considered necessary during the time of the church constructions. These qualities, it was said, went into the construction of churches as well. Every Freemason is expected to project these qualities in their lives.

The history of Freemasons in India is traced to Kolkata which was where their first base or Lodge was located. Today their headquarters has been relocated to Delhi and is known as the Grand Lodge of India. At the helm of the Indian chapter is Mr. Arun Chinvopanth and the members include businessmen, lawyers and judges, many of them very well known and established. Tracing the roots of Freemasons in India reveals associations with some of the most distinguished names, the likes of Swami Vivekananda, Dr. Zakir Hussain and Moti Lal Nehru. In fact when Vivekanada made his famous speech in Chicago, his opening address of “Brothers and sisters” is believed to originate from the Freemason ideals.

Initially the Indian chapter of the Freemasons was given the go-ahead by the Grand Lodge of England. However, subsequently difference arose mainly concerning the issue of dual membership. The outcome was that the society in England decided to derecognise its Indian counterpart and the rift has never been mended.

Probably the most unusual aspects of the Freemasons are the rituals, ceremonies and practices, many of which find mention in Dan Brown’s widely panned novel. Secret handshakes and passwords are the most commonly used, with the initiation rituals being the most elaborate and extraordinary.

Freemasons in India like their counterparts elsewhere are unanimous in denouncing the Dan Brown controversy. However considering the secrecy they maintain from the outside world, it was undoubtedly a blessing in disguise that the Freemasons proved so eager to dispel unfounded beliefs about their kind thanks entirely to the overwhelming popularity that The Da Vinci Code garnered.