Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JS/EP)

Udupi, Jan 7: A person who moved the court against Jarandaya temple, Padubidri with a history of 500 years collapsed and died the next day of getting a stay order from the court.

The temple was a centre of devotion and faith to the villagers.

Paduhitlu Jarandaya Banta Seva Samithi oversees the administration of the temple. Prakash Shetty was the president of the samithi. He lost his position when the samithi changed. However he did not want to lose his power. Therefore he claimed that the temple belongs to him and formed a separate trust of five members for the temple and appointed Jaya Poojary, Sanada Mane as its president.

Jarandaya temple samithi decided to host the annual Kola of the temple on January 7. Jaya Poojary and Prakash Shetty who moved the court succeeded in bringing a stay on the Kola. Surprisingly Jaya Poojary who got the stay order on December 23, 2022 collapsed and died all of a sudden on December 24, 2022. The villagers were stunned in silence to see him die when Tambila Seve was in progress.

Prakash Shetty who was unperturbed, threatened the temple dancer Bhasker Bangera asking him to speak to the Daiva the way he does.

The temple committee postponed the Nemotsava scheduled for January 7 due to the death of Jaya Poojary. But Prakash Shetty and his team decided to hold Nemotsava on January 7 itself the day the last rites of Jaya Poojary were held. Though the stay order was vacated in the court, there is anguish against Prakash Shetty and his team.

Tense situation prevailed when the members of the trust and committee gathered near the temple on January 7. The samithi members locked the temple saying that Nemotsava should not be conducted due to the bad omen.

Finally the members of the trust offered community prayers outside the temple and decided to take further action after the court announced its judgment and left.

The villagers have decided to remain bound to Jarandaya Banta Seva Samithi's decision.