Mysore/Mysuru: With Ashada Month commencing from next week, District Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa held a meeting with officials on preparations for Ashada Fridays atop Chamundi Hill, at the Government Guest House this morning.
The First Ashada Friday falls on June 23 followed by June 30, July 7 and July 14.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dr. K.V. Rajendra directed the officials to make appropriate arrangements for vehicle parking at the foot of Chamundi Hill and to ensure free travel in KSRTC buses from the foothill to the Hill temple.
Stressing on the need for making Chamundi Hill plastic-free, he instructed the officials to take measures for stopping people from carrying plastic covers, bags etc., to the Hill Temple. He also instructed for an appropriate system for distribution of Prasada by devotees and to maintain hygiene and cleanliness atop the Hill.
MLA Tanveer Sait wanted the authorities not to distribute passes to devotees on Ashada Fridays as the system had led to much confusion in the past.
Chamundi Hill Temple Chief Priest Dr. Shashishekar Dixit said that Ashada Fridays will be celebrated atop the Hill Temple in keeping with past traditions and practices.
Coming out in support of MLA Tanveer Sait who has opposed issuance of passes, Dixit said that doing away with passes would be a good measure.
Suggesting separate lines for devotees and VIPs visiting the Hill Temple on Ashada Fridays as it will leave little scope for confusions, he said that the first Ashada Friday falls on June 23. Goddess Chamundeshwari Vardhanti will take place atop the Hill on July 14, he added.
In Tirumala temple ( tirupati) there is a system in which each devotee /tourist would be given a hand band which will have the time window ( hours) between which you can go for temple Darshan .Do see if such a system an be introduced during future Ashada fridays so that the load of people going to the hill can be evenly distributed on these days.
Stop too many people visiting this temple, in a sigle day, even if the KSRTC bus services. There must be an upper limit of the number of devotees visiting, which should be controlled by the issue of tickets.
“Chamundi Hill Temple Chief Priest Dr. Shashishekar Dixit”,. He brandishes his doctorate, an honourary one, bestowed on him by a third rate institution, is in his position as the chief priest, because, his father was also the chief priest-a dynastic cushy inheritance! He looks like an actor, in the sense, he constatnly has his hair cuts, and in colluding with the temple administrator, is corruprt to the core, offering special darshans for the rich, arranged by him and the temple administrator. These rich and powrful are led into the inner sanctorum of the Goddess, where this chief priest blesses them putting the kumkum on their forehead ( Agama practice says, he should not touch a devotee standing near the Goddess, but he does not mind, where cash is involved!),and in return, receives a wad of Rupee notes in his left hand! The Goddess, he thinks, will not mind, and after all, She is a piece of metal for him! This is the spiritual state of this country where hundreds of saints were born and preached righteousness.
The temple administrator gets a slice of that money given to the chief priest , and a part of it goes to the district minister too. Such a cosy democratic set up, in the spiritual independent India!!
Narendra Modi, here in New Delhi, often refers to the superior spiritual India!!