The VIP culture has cast its shadow on the rituals and poojas at Sri Durga Malleswara Swmayvarla Devasthanam. On the fourth day of the Dasara festival on Tuesday, a delay in offering of bala bhoganaivedyam to presiding deity goddess Kanaka Durga took place allegedly due to the presence of the VIPs in the sanctum sanctorum.
There was an uproar atop Indrakeeladri even as the rumours were rife that apacharam (fault) took place in the temple. It led to suspension of an employee and issuance of show cause notices to a couple of others. Endowments Minister P. Manikyala Rao said an enquiry would be conducted and action would be taken against the employees responsible for it.
Temple sources said the priests offer the naivedyam to the deity every hour in addition to the main naivedyam. Generally, the bala bhoga naivedyam is offered by closing the curtains unlike main nivedana wherein temple premises is cleansed and darshan to devotees is put on hold. The VIP devotees did not move out the sanctorum though the temple employees had repeatedly made announcements that they should pave way for the priest carrying the nivedana.
The incident took place at around noon. The maha nivedana is offered at 7 p.m. during the festival unlike noon time during the normal days. The temple slips into security cordon and direct vigil of police and revenue departments during the festival. In most of the cases, the temple employees find it difficult to manage the VIPs and their wish list during the festivities. The pathway around the temple and the aaseervachana mandapam is mostly filled with the VIPs, say employees.
It is pertinent to mention here that the temple management introduced break darshan for VIPs during the last Dasara festival on lines of Tirumala. The elected representatives have been vigorously asking for break darshan/VIP entry ever since former EO Vijay Kumar put an end to VIP darshans during the Dasara in 2009-2010.
He insisted them to buy Rs. 250 ticket to have a darshan. The elected representatives openly protested his decision.
