Silvester D' Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (EP)
Kundapur, June 5: The controversy regarding the death and burial of a Swamiji that had caused the suspension of religious programmes at Kollur Sri Mookambika Temple since Monday June 2 has finally been set to rest by the intervention of Krishnaprasad Adyantaya, president of temple management committee and L S Maruthi, the executive official. The programmes resumed from Tuesday afternoon.
Vimalananda Swamy, who arrived at Kollur from Ganeshapuri of Thane district in Mumbai in 1966 on the suggestion by Nityananda Swamy established the Nithyananda Ashram near Olaga Mantap of Kollur. The swamy passed away on Monday afternoon. When the news of his death reached the temple, the pooja programmes were temporarily suspended as per customs. However the visits to the deity and the distribution of prasada continued as usual.
Generally the place where the idol of the deity is taken is considered as the boundary of the temple. Kollur temple has followed the custom of performing the last rites of people who die inside the temple area and outside the temple boundaries after the suspension of religious programmes inside. It is customary to conduct religious programmes of penance before resuming the usual prayer programmes in the temple.
The controversy started when the inmates of the temple decided to bury the dead body of the Swamiji inside the temple. As the priests except Tantri Manjunath Adiga among six priests of the temple and the management committee urged that the last rites be performed outside the temple and decided to stay away from poojas until the body of the Swamy remained inside the temple. Sri Mookambika Devi and the deities had to remain without Poojas for more than 24 hours.
Jayananda, head of the ashrama speaking on the controversy, said that the opinion of the tantris was obtained. "Swamiji is equal to God. As grief does not apply with his death, as per customs of the mutt, the religious programmes are held inside," he said.
Responding to the controversy, Ramakrishna Adiga, Jayakumar Kollur and others have said that when Shankerashrama Swamiji and Murthi Ganesh Bhat died, their last rites were performed outside.
The temple inmates complained to the police on Monday night regarding the objectionable behavior. The groups of priests and devotees who had decided to bury the body in the temple however completed the rites before 11 am.
The group of priests who objected to the burial inside had refused to conduct poojas until the controversy is cleared. However Krishnaprasad Adyantaya, president of management committee and L S Maruthi, chief executive held a meeting of priests and urged the priests to resume poojas in order to avoid inconvenience to the devotees and to refer the matter of burial to the district administration.
The priests who agreed to it conducted penance homa praying to the devi to solve the problem and decided to resume pooja programmes. The poojas were resumed in the afternoon under the leadership of priests N Govinda Adiga and Ramachandra Adiga. Senior priests Sridhar Adiga, assistant executive officer Krishnamoorthi and Adhikshaka Ramakrishna Adiga were present.
Hundreds of people participated in the meeting held on Wednesday to discuss and gather public opinion on the burial and expressed their opinions and suggestions.
Several people said that the opinion of locals should have been obtained soon after they came to know that the customs of the place
were being ignored. They said that they will abide by the decisions of the temple to maintain customs and sanctity of the place.
An unanimous decision to urge the district administration to shift the grave of Nityananda Swamy that has been built contrary to tradition and this was taken during the meeting.
Executive officer L S Maruthi, assistant executive officer Krishnamurthi, members Rajesh Tallur, Kalpana Bhaskar, Savitha
Devadiga, Jayananda Sherugar, Dr Atulkumar Shetty, superintendent Ramakrishna Adiga, priests N Narasimha Adiga, N Govinda Adiga,
Ramachandra Adiga, Purushotham Jois, V S S Bank president Vishweshwara Adiga, advocate Nagesh Sherugara and others were present.