Minister for Muzrai, Ports, and Inland Water Transport Kota Srinivas Poojary said here on Tuesday that ‘made snana’ issue at Kukke Subrahmanya temple would be solved amicably.
‘Made snana’ is a ritual wherein people rolled over the left over food consumed by Brahmins on plantain leaves.
The Minister told presspersons that the Government would take a “janapara nirdhara” (pro-people decision) while resolving the issue. He did not say clearly whether the Government would ban it or allow the ritual to continue or make some changes (as suggested by Vishwesha Tirtha Swamiji of Pejawar Math recently).
The swamiji had suggested that “naivedya” (food offered to the presiding deity at the temple) could be served on plantain leaves and cows could be made to eat them before allowing devotees to roll over them.
Mr. Poojary said that some pro-people organisations and political parties had opposed the practice while some were for continuing the ritual. The Government would take all people into confidence and take a decision without hurting anybody. He said as Muzrai Minister he would continue the good works initiated by his predecessor the late V.S. Acharya.
Later addressing party workers at a felicitation organised for him at the BJP office, he said there were about 36,000 temples in the State. The late Acharya wished that temples needed to be renovated by seeking cooperation from devotees. The Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Second Amendment) Bill 2011 had mentioned about renovation of temples by devotees. The Bill sought to constitute a Rajya Dharmika Parishat at the State-level and Zilla Dharmika Parishat at the district level. The parishat is empowered to resolve any dispute regarding religious practices, customs, and traditions.
Cleanliness
Mr. Poojary said that as understood by him he had been allocated muzrai portfolio as temples in the coastal belt were known for maintaining cleanliness and it was his responsibility to make the temples in coastal districts a model for other temples in the State. The Minister said he would look into the demands for carrying out dredging in ports.
To a question by presspersons, Mr. Poojary said he was ready to quit as a Minister if the party asked him to do so for accommodating Kundapur MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty.
