http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bizarre-temple-tradition-trips-karnataka-govt/210350-62-129.html
IBN Karnataka | Updated Dec 09, 2011 at 05:34pm IST
Now, a bizarre temple tradition trips Karnataka govt
IANS
Bangalore: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka,
already battling corruption scandals and dissidence, is now caught in
a delicate balancing act over a bizarre practice at a famous temple.
The practice, said to be 400 years old, involves people rolling over
plantain leaves containing leftovers of meals consumed by Brahmins in
the belief that it cures them of skin ailments.
It is called 'made snana' or 'urulu seve' (roll over ritual) and is
performed during the 'Champa Sashti' festival in late November or
early December at the Subramanya temple in Kukke in the coastal
Dakshina Kananda district, about 350 km from Bangalore. Soon after
performing the 'made snana', people head to the nearby Kumaradhara
river for a bath.
The practice has created a furore in the state in the last two years,
with Dalit organisations, sections of leading Kannada writers, heads
of several mutts (religious institutions), civil society groups,
politicians, including from the ruling BJP, calling for a ban.
Now, a bizarre temple tradition trips Karnataka govt
However, some BJP leaders, most notably Vedavyas Srinivas Acharya, a
doctor and minister handling the higher education portfolio, are
opposing the ban. While those calling for a ban assert that mostly
Dalits perform the ritual and the practice is "heinous", Acharya
insists this is not true.
"It is a matter of belief and people from various communities,
including Brahmins, undertake it to fulfil a vow to the god and the
government should not interfere in such issues," Acharya has been
arguing.
But several of his ministerial colleagues, such as Labour Minister
B.N. Bachche Gowda and Minor Irrigation Minister Govind Karjol, are
demanding a ban, saying the government cannot allow "superstitious
practices" to continue.
Temple authorities and Acharya contend that no one is forced to
undertake the ritual nor is it part of rituals recognised by the
temple. The temple authorities have no idea of how the practice
originated. This year, the Champa Sasthi festival concluded on Nov 30
and several hundred people performed the 'made snana'.
Though the ritual is practised at some temples devoted to Hindu god
Subramanya in neighbouring Udupi district also, the 'made snana' at
Kukke is widely known. It is believed that those who cannot go to
Kukke perform it at temples in Udupi.
While last year too the practice had ignited protests, with Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, herself a Dalit, joining the call for
ban, the issue turned ugly this year.
On Nov 30, some devotees bashed up K.H. Shivaramu, leader of the
Mysore-based 'forum to create awareness in backward communities', who
had gone to Kukke with a small group of supporters to protest the
ritual and create awareness about it. The district police arrested six
persons for the attack. They are out on bail now.
The attack on Shivaramu led to a furore in many parts of the state and
pressure mounted on Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda to ban the
practice. But Kukke town observed a bandh (shutdown) Dec 5 against
"outside interference in the temple town's affairs".
Heads of some religious institutions, such as Veerendra Heggade of
Dharmasthala, another famous pilgrim centre in Dakshina Kananda, have
also taken a stand against any government intervention. Heggade has
termed the issue as one created by media.
Caught amidst this row, the Gowda government has asked the district
authorities to report by the end of this week on whether only Dalits
and people from backward communities take part in the ritual and
whether there is any force to perform it. "We will take a decision
once the report is received," Social Welfare Minister A. Narayanaswamy
said on Tuesday.
However, opponents of the practice say no report is needed and the
practice should be banned immediately, particularly because the temple
comes under the government's 'Muzrai' (religious affairs) department.
The issue figured in the legislative council Wednesday with Congress
and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) members lambasting the government for
not banning the practice immediately. The government stuck to the
stand that it will act only after studying the report of the district
authorities.
The temple at Kukke is devoted to Subramanya. The idol of Subramanya
is in the shape of a nine-headed serpent. Legend has it that
Subramanya protected serpent god Vasuki who had taken shelter in a
cave at Kukke from Garuda.
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