Kerala : Church to continue day and night agitation at various places
The Latin Catholic Church has decided to intensify its agitation until all fishermen left stranded in the outer sea by cyclone Ockhi are rescued. A meeting of the pastoral council under the Thiruvananthapuram archdiocese of the Church, convened by Archbishop Soosa Pakiam M., decided to launch day-and-night agitations at various places including Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Tuticorin on December 11. A demonstration will also be taken out to the Raj Bhavan in protest against the the delay in rescuing those missing.
Vicar-General Eugene H. Pereira told mediapersons that the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard were hesitant about expanding their search in the outer sea. The Church demanded that the Centre deploy defence aircraft in the rescue effort. The agitation will continue until the last person is rescued. “We will lay siege to the Secretariat from December 13 with the bodies of victims, if our demands are not met,” he said, reported The Hindu. He said that 285 fishermen from the district alone were yet to be rescued. The Church also reiterated its demand to declare the incident as a national disaster.
Earlier, Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan and Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran visited the Archbishop in a bid to assuage the concerns of the Church. Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac visited various coastal areas including Adimalathura and Pozhiyoor. During the visit, protests were raised by women against the alleged inadequacies in the package announced by the State government.
Meanwhile, distribution of free ration of 15 kg of rice to those affected by the cyclone has commenced in the district. According to the District Supply Officer, the supply is in addition to the existing monthly quota being provided through ration outlets.
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Karnataka : Religious Mutts and Temples to come under Government purview, under ‘Muzrai’ Act
Religious mutts and temples which so far remained outside the ambit of the government could come within the purview if changes being considered for the ‘Muzrai’ Act is any indication.
A seven-member committee, currently in the process of suggesting comprehensive changes in the Act, is considering inclusion of Mutts and temples controlled by mutts under the purview of the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, popularly known as ‘Muzrai’ Act. The committee — headed by advocate and Karnataka Rajya Dharmika Parishad member N.K. Jagannivas Rao — has already met thrice and is likely to come up with the draft in a month’s time.
In fact, non-inclusion of mutts and temples run by them, and keeping away Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs from the definition of “Hindus” had led a Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court to strike down the 2011 and 2012 Amendments brought to the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997. Terming the exclusion as “illegal and discriminatory”, the high court had struck down amendments in 2015.
Even the 1997 Act was stuck down by the High Court in 2006 on the same grounds that mutts have been kept outside the purview, but the Supreme Court stayed a portion of the High Court’s ruling.
“We got a stay from the Supreme Court over the High Court judgment. However, in the light of the High Court’s observations on the current Act, we want to bring a uniform and comprehensive Act that will overcome loopholes. We will incorporate suggestions, observations and the order issued by the High Court,” Minister for Muzrai Rudrappa Lamani confirmed, reported Indian Express .
The Muzrai Department has received 70 applications after it decided to let go of “C” category temples to families where priests have hereditarily performed duties. The department also intends to let go of gadduges (seats) of seers of various mutts that are currently under its supervision. According to Mr. Lamani, most ‘C’ category temples have been identified in Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Karwar, and Deputy Commissioners of all districts have been asked to draw up a list of such temples in their jurisdiction. “There is shortage of fund and staff. We want to return the maintenance of gadduge to respective mutts, and also hand over temples to families that have looked after them,” he added.
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Karnataka Minister seeks centre’s assistance for “Mahamastabhisheka”
Karnataka Minister A Manju today called on Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma and sought central assistance for organising the biggest Jain festival, ‘Mahamastakabhisheka’, in Hassan district which is estimated to cost Rs 1,070 crore. Celebrated once in 12 years, the ‘Mahamastakabhisheka’ — the anointment of Gomateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola in Hassan district — will be held between February 7 and February 26 next year. The state government has released Rs 263 crore for organising the festival, out of which Rs 88 crore is for upgrading infrastructure such as roads, he said. The funds are being utilised for creating temporary and permanent infrastructure for the benefit of devotees, tourists and visitors, he said in an official statement.
Manju, also chairman of the Mahamastabhisheka committee, told the Union minister that the Karnataka chief minister had written letters in February to the prime minister and the finance minister seeking central aid. The state minister said that funds have also been earmarked for various projects including preserving the hills, setting up higher seat of education for Prakrit languages, creating a library and research centre for historians. In 2006, the Centre had allocated Rs 30 crore for the festival, while the state spent Rs 90 crore.
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Tamil Nadu : Rathotssvam of Naganatha Swamy Temple held
Hundreds of devotees participated in the car festival of Naganatha Swamy Temple at Thirunageswaram in Kumbhakonam held recently The shrine is famous as Raghu parihara sthalam.
The car festival at the abode of Girigukambigai Samedha Sri Naganatha Swamy, was held as part of the annual Karthigai festival celebrated by Lord Brahma as per the legend. The annual events began on December 1. On the ninth day on Saturday, the swamy and ambal processional deities were ensconced atop the car in the morning after which the devotees drew the car around the main streets of Thirunageswaram.
The Teerthavari ritual will be held at the Surya Pushkarani on Sunday. Meanwhile, at Srivanjiyam in Tiruvarur district, car festival was held at Vanjinatha Swamy Temple. The processional deities of Lord Subramanian along with His divine consorts Devasena and Valli were taken on a new car.
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Telangana : Pokala Dammakka statue unveiled at Bhadrachalam
The recently unveiled statue of Adivasi woman Pokala Dammakka of the bygone era, known for her indefatigable devotion to Lord Rama, on the famed Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple premises in Bhadrachalam has enriched the spiritual ambience ahead of Mukkoti (Vaikunta) Ekadasi festivities beginning next week.
The life-like figure was carved by sculptors from Tiruvuru in Andhra Pradesh and installed at a vantage point on the temple precincts easily visible to the devotees.
The artistically carved statue depicting the Adivasi woman worshipping Lord Rama, his consort Sita and brother Lakshmana has become a major attraction for devotees visiting the shrine from far and wide.
Dammakka’s name occupies prominent place in the annals of the glorious history of the temple built by Kancharla Gopanna (Bhakta Ramadasu), the then tehsildar of Palvancha paragana during the Qutb Shahi regime in 17th century.
The life-like statue of Dammakka is not only an impressive piece of art work but it symbolises the everlasting spiritual bond between Adivasis and the Bhadradri shrine in the temple town, the tribal heartland, remarked Jagadeesh, a devotee from Khammam.
It exemplifies the hoary past of the famed temple providing an insight into its chequered history, he remarked.
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Andhra Pradesh : Bhavani Deeksha Viramana begins
The five-day Bhavani Deeksha relinquishment programme at the Kanakadurga Temple began here on Sunday with a huge number of Bhavanis from across the State taking to the Indrakeeladri and its premises to perform various rituals.
Having observed the holy deeksha, the Bhavanis walked barefoot to the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy Varla Devasthanam and after circumambulating (giri pradakshina) the Indrakeeladri through narrow streets and busy roads surrounding Indrakeeladri. The streets turned red as bhavanis in groups wearing red robes kept flocking throughout the day. After circumambulation, the Bhavanis take a holy dip at the Durga Ghat at the foot of Indrakeeladri and enter the queue lines at Vinayaka Temple to have a glimpse of the presiding deity. Later, at Arjuna Veedhi they leave the irumudi at special counters near the homagundam as part of the ritual. As it was a holiday, the turnout was as expected even on the first day of the five-day programme that ends on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the temple doors were kept open since early hours. The temple will be open from 3 a.m. to 11 p.m. Along with the temple authorities, various NGOs and organisations set up drinking water and other facilities for the devotees. About 40 counters were set up by the temple authorities for laddu and bhangi prasadam distribution to the devotees. The temple is also running free bus services from the railway station and Pundit Nehru Bus Station frequently. Police deployed personnel to oversee the security and safety issues of the devotees in the surroundings of the temple.
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Telangana : Telanagana Government to distribute gifts for Christmas
The Telangana government will distribute gifts to around two lakh Christians from impoverished backgrounds and host Christmas dinners, officials told Hindustan Times, confirming the administration will stick to a tradition that started in 2015.
The gifts will include sarees or cloth pieces that can be stitched into a pair of shirt and a pant, or a salwar-kameez. “The distribution of gift hampers will take place on December 14 and the dinner will be hosted on December 18. The total expenditure for distribution of gift hampers and hosting of lunch is around Rs 15 crore,” Syed Omar Jaleel, the secretary of Telangana minority welfare department said.
In September, the state government distributed sarees to around one crore Hindu women on the occasion of Bathukamma festival during Dasara, but the gifts were criticised for their poor quality.
Jaleel said as per estimates, there were around one lakh poor Christians in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, and another lakh in the rest of Telangana.
The government has asked MLAs and corporators to identify those eligible for the gifts with the help of Christian organisations associated with local churches.
“Once the beneficiaries under each church are identified, we will transfer the amount directly to the church account to host the dinner, besides handing over the gift packets with new clothes,” the official said. “In all, 190 churches have been identified for the scheme.”
Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has also decided that Christmas will be celebrated as an official state function. “The chief minister will host a grand dinner for elite Christian families of the city in Hyderabad on Christmas eve,” Jaleel said, reported Indian Express.
The distribution of gift hampers during Christmas festivities was launched by KCR in December 2015. He also laid a foundation stone for a Christian Bhavan proposed to be constructed at a cost of Rs 10 crore at Mahendra Hills in Secunderabad. But construction did not take off due to legal problems over the land.
Last year, he promised a two-acre land for at Nagole in Hyderabad, but it, too, did not materialise. Finally, on December 4 this year, deputy chief minister Mohammad Mahmud Ali laid foundation for Christian Bhavan at Medchal on the city suburbs.
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