Mysuru: Devotees and visitors to the Chamundeshwari Temple atop the Chamundi Hill, who are served prasadam every afternoon at the Dasoha Bhavan, will now be served prasadam both in the morning and evening from Mar.1. Till now, only lunch was being served.

This decision was taken at a meeting of Sri Chamundeshwari Temple Administration Board chaired by Deputy Commissioner and Administrative Officer of the Board D. Randeep, here recently. The prasadam will be distributed from 7.30 am to 10 am and from 7.30 pm to 9 pm.

The menu for the prasadam from Monday to Sunday in the morning and evening include Vegetable Upma and Kesari Bath on Mondays, Khara Pongal and Sweet Pongal on Tuesdays, Bisi Bele Bath and Kesari Bath on Wednesdays, Avalakki Upma and Sweet Avalakki on Thursdays, Vegetable Bath and Jaggery Rice on Fridays, Vangibath and  Sajjige on Saturdays and Tomato Bath and Jaggery Rice on Sundays. The meeting also decided to serve clean and tasty snacks so that there will not be any scope for complaints, according to a press release from the Deputy Commissioner’s Office.    

Besides directing the officials to serve quality food to the devotees, the DC has instructed them to depute two security personnel at the entrance of the Dasoha Bhavan to ensure that only devotees and tourists are allowed inside. He has stated that local residents of Chamundi Hill village and shop-keepers should not be allowed.

He has also directed the officials to install CCTV cameras at the kitchen, ladoo preparation place, dining hall, entrance and queues to maintain transparency.

Only one ‘Mangalarathi Thatte’ at Hill Temple

Mysuru, Feb.24- Temple priests and priests at the Sanctum Sanctorum (paricharaks) of the Chamundeshwari Temple atop the Hill must use only one ‘Mangalarathi Thatte’ (plates where devotees offer money) instead of the earlier practice of using two thattes.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the members of the Religious Endowment and Charitable Department, Bengaluru and Principal of Maharaja’s Sanskrit College, Mysuru, recently, according to a press release from C.P. Shylaja, Commissioner, Religious Endowment and Charitable Department.

In the meeting, held as per the instruction of the Commissioner, both the ‘archaks’ and ‘paricharaks’ have agreed to do away with the two ‘mangalarathi’ plates. Due to a rift between the ‘archaks’ and ‘paricharaks’, there was a system of having two plates since some time, for separate collection of ‘dakshina’.

It may be recalled that the Mysuru Deputy Commissioner had suspended a priest, Srinivasan, for keeping a ‘mangalarathi’ plate above the offering box (hundi), hindering the devotees from putting the offerings into the hundi.

Renovation

The Endowment Department has also proposed additional funds for the renovation and conservation of eight temples under the Palace Board, including the Chamundeshwari temple.

The proposal includes a grant of Rs. 45 lakh for Sri Shwethavarahaswamy temple, Rs. 18 lakh for Prasanna Krishna temple, Rs. 8.5 lakh for Sri Anjaneya and Ganapathi temples, Rs. 16 lakh for Sri Chandramouleshwara temple, Rs. 68 lakh for Sri Bhuvaneshwari temple, Rs. 77 lakh for Sri Gayathridevi temple, and Rs. 84 lakh for Sri Trineshwara Temple in the premises of Mysore Palace.

The first phase of the conservation works on Sri Shwethavarahaswamy temple and Sri Gayathridevi temple have already completed and this proposal is for the second phase of works.