Chamarajanagar, Sep 27 (IANS): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that "it was unhealthy to have a grand wedding using borrowed money", and asked people to stop availing agricultural loans and using it for marriages.

He was speaking at a mass marriage organised by the Shri Malai Mahadeswaraswamy development authority on Wednesday.

"Lavish weddings are a huge burden for the poor and the middle class. You have to pay the debt for the rest of your life. Therefore, simple and collective marriages should be more and more common," he said.

Mahadeshwara hill is a sacred place of spiritual significance, a spiritual center for working class, poor and all other castes. "This is why I have the utmost respect and devotion to this temple. When I first became the Chief Minister, I created the Malai Mahadeshwara Development Authority. Now the revenue of the authority has also increased,” he said.

He appreciated that as a result of the Shakti scheme, devotees, especially women, were coming in large numbers and having darshan of Malai Madeshwara.

The chief minister made an important announcement that the image of Malai Mahadeshwara region will be changed in the next five years.