Tirumala Temple turns Controversial!
After Tirumala Tirupati Devathanams (TTD) board chairman YV Subba Reddy revoked the rule that non-Hindus should mandatorily declare their faith in Lord Venkateswara when they visited the temple. This decision snowballed into a major controversy. The form was introduced in 2012 after a similar controversy when Jagan, a devout Christian, visited the place.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy is presently in Tirumala in connection with its ongoing nine-day Lord Venkateswara Brahmotsavam festival that ends on 27 September.
Old age tradition of Tirumala Tirupathi
It is a tradition for Andhra Pradesh chief ministers to visit the Tirumala temple during the Brahmotsavam festival for a special darshan and offer vastram (silk cloth) to the presiding deity on behalf of the state and its people.
This year, a controversy has erupted over the CM’s visit mainly since he happens to be a Christian. People of other faiths are allowed into the temple only after they sign a declaration affirming their faith in the presiding deity of the temple.
TTD Board Guidelines
According to rules 136 and 137 of the TTD Board guidelines, non-Hindus wishing to have darshan at the shrine should declare their religion, on a form, and express their faith in the deity to the chief priest.
In 2014, the Union government issued a memo stating that anyone identified as a non-Hindu (based on name or surname) can be asked by the TTD authorities to make such a declaration.
TTD Clarified
Following a hue and cry being raised the TTD chairman clarified his statement: “Thousands of devotees come from all over the world every day to Tirumala with belief in Lord Balaji. Between 80,000 and one lakh people visit the temple during festivals and auspicious days. There will be many people from other religions in such pilgrims. What I said was that we cannot ask all such people for declaration.”
Former CM and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu said that allowing Jagan without such a declaration would be a “spiritual breach” that could bring a curse on the state and its people. “The established traditions at the Tirumala temple should not be changed for the sake of a non-believer,” he said.
Right to visit Place of Worship
State Minister for Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Kodali Nani added more fuel, insisting that as the Chief Minister, Reddy had the right to visit any place of worship, irrespective of the faith he belongs to. The minister said that the declaration norm should be revoked.
“When the late YS Rajashekhara Reddy visited Tirupati as an MP and an MLA, Chandrababu Naidu did not seek any declaration. Jagan visited the temple before and after the padayatra (before the 2019 assembly elections) and then too, the former CM did not ask for a declaration. What is the need for the CM to declare his faith and beliefs when he is coming to offer cotton clothes to Lord Venkateshwara?” Kodali said.
Politics on Hindu Sentiments
The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), too, has joined the chorus charging the Jagan government with intentionally hurting the sentiments of the Hindus. It has lodged a complaint at the Machavaram Police Station in Vijayawada against Kodali, alleging he had abused Hindu gods.
Even as the verbal duel between the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leaders and opposition parties’ leader continue, Jagan is in the premises of Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala presenting the vastram to the Lord!
@religionworldin
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