All Governments love acronyms, and our Central Government has a perfect one for temples. It is called PRASHAD. It stands for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive.

Phew! It feels like reciting a long mantra!

The Centre has chosen our Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hill to be ‘developed’ under this scheme. One would say that’s good news. But…

Whenever Mysureans hear the word development in the same sentence as Chamundi Hill, alarm bells ring and for good reason.

Over the years, we have watched concrete creep steadily upward, replacing green cover with parking lots, buildings, and half-baked ‘amenities’ that nobody asked for.

For years now, every politician now and then has tried to start some project on the Hill. From the ‘ropeway’ to the ‘giant viewing wheel’.
From ‘road expansion’ to an ‘escalator’! 

Now, with PRASHAD, we are heading for the age-old battle, Development versus Non-development. But this is a false binary.

The real debate is scientific development versus unscientific development. Necessary facilities versus unnecessary projects.

Back in 2021, when we first heard of the PRASHAD ‘concept note’, it sounded ridiculously ambitious. In fact, it was so ambitious that I was exhausted after reading it.

I would like to put my readers through it too, so you know how wide and irrational the scope of even a simple Government project can be.

The ‘concept note’ proposed putting up traditional structures where vendors are already selling temple-related goods; developing the ‘precinct of Mahabaleshwara,’ the temple next to the main one.

It planned to improve the path to Narayana Temple precinct, which is also close to the main temple; repairing the ‘dibbana’ steps; setting up a ‘bhajane’ centre where the old parking lot near the Temple now sits.

There was even a bold claim that the ‘existing disorganised, commercialised precinct’ would be converted into a ‘sacred complex.’ What does this even mean? Even Goddess Chamundeshwari, we are sure, is confused.

The plan didn’t stop there. It included upgrading the Nandi area, adding rest stops with toilets and drinking water along the Hill steps, installing handrails all along the steps, reviving Devikere with changing rooms.

The plan included creating a centralised ticketing centre at the foothill and introducing a system that tells you where parking spaces are available, it was titled ‘smart parking’.

So many grand plans, but one wonders how much ‘smart’ infrastructure a fragile Hill ecosystem can absorb.

The proposal further divided the Hill into an ‘Outer’ and ‘Inner Precinct’.

The ‘Outer Precinct’ would house an elderly care centre, women and child care facilities, resting spaces, a drivers’ facility centre, and even a hazard alert and rescue centre.

The ‘Inner Precinct’, the core Temple area, would have drinking water facilities, toilets with lockers, meditation spaces, silent zones and resting places. The list went on and on.

There were also impressive claims about sustainability such as centralised waste management, smart bins, segregation zones, and even a ‘zero-waste temple campus.’

There was going to be solar lighting, water recharge pits, revival of historic wells and beautified viewpoints using traditional architecture.

On paper, it reads like a perfect blend of devotion, technology and environmental sensitivity.

In reality, it reads like a fiction novel.

Take for instance, the proposal for a ‘Narratorium’, a storytelling space narrating the history of the Wadiyars, to be built near the foothill entrance. Or the ‘Ecology Conservatory’ and ‘Tree Species Museum’, complete with a greenhouse displaying native species as a ‘live tree museum.’

These ideas may belong in a university campus or a planned urban park, but do they belong on a sacred Hill already struggling under human pressure?

The inevitable question arises: Can all this really be built with just around Rs. 40 crore? Highly unlikely.

A more plausible explanation is that this is an old Government contractor trick. Give an overestimated proposal so they get enough money to at least execute 20 percent of the proposal.

Now, if this 20 percent includes clean toilets, better pathways, basic waste management and minimal visual improvement, then very few would object.

Chamundi Hill is not just another tourist destination or a pilgrimage centre it is the lung space of Mysuru. It must be protected, kept clean and green.

Will PRASHAD scheme development works kill the Hill? That depends entirely on how far the project goes. Basic amenities for devotees are necessary.

Excessive construction, thematic attractions and unnecessary ‘experiential’ additions are not.

With over Rs. 40 crore, the Government can build a clean, orderly temple complex that respects the Hill’s limits. Nothing more is required.

Mysureans must engage and question the project’s scope. We must insist on scientific and eco-sensitive development. Otherwise, what is being served to us as PRASHAD may well turn out to be poison that will kill our beloved Hill. If that happens, it’s on us, Mysureans.

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