Temples were not the sole property of Brahmins alone but of 21 other castes involved in their set-up and maintenance, observed Sharada Peetham pontiff Swami Swaroopananda.
The pontiff, who was here to deliver a discourse, told reporters that the temple system was sabotaged by vested interests who drove away the people and left it with only Brahmins.
“The cobbler, washerman, goldsmith, barber all are involved in the maintenance of the temple. Every caste is important and without a single person, the temple will not function,” he pointed out.
Swami Swaroopananda said he would soon meet Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and urge him to restore 21,000 acres of endowment lands which were occupied by individuals. The priests should be paid a pension like other government employees.
He said he would visit all the abandoned temples in Andhra Pradesh from December 11 to January 11, spend a night at each temple and organise a meeting with local people to revive them. In February, he would visit similar temples in Telangana.
“Telangana has very old and popular temples that are in dire straits due to dwindling patronage and indifference of authorities. On behalf of Sharada Peetham, we will make efforts to mobilise people of all castes and motivate them to restore those temples,” he said.
Captain V. Laxmikantha Rao, MLA V. Satish, Archaka Samakhya leader Gangu Upendra Sharma, Brahmana Samakhya leader I. Satyamohan and others were present.
