Priests stage protest as dispute between Bhadradri Vedic committee and Executive Officer affects Sri Rama Navami rituals
Kothagudem: Priests stayed away from the Sri Rama Navami rituals that were supposed to begin on Thursday evening at the Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Devasthanam, Bhadrachalam.
The development came in the backdrop of a dispute between the Bhadradri Vedic committee and the temple executive officer L Rama Devi. The priests seriously objected to the EO’s decision to transfer deputy chief priest Srinivas Ramanujam to Parnasala Temple from Bhadradri Temple.
The priests stopped the Ankurarpana ritual that happens at 6 pm day before Vasantha Utsavam (Holi celebration) and Dolotsavam that marks the commencement of the Sri Rama Navami celebrations.
The Vedic committee said that the Ankurarpana could not be performed without the deputy chief priest. It was said that Ramanujam allegedly took some gifts donated by devotees out of the temple and because of that, he was transferred to Parnasala as a disciplinary measure.
The priests staged a protest at the temple on Thursday late evening hours demanding the EO to allow Srinivas Ramanujam to perform pooja rituals at Bhadradri Temple. The chief priest Amaravadi Vijayaraghavan, priests Koti Ramaswaroop and Gopala Krishnamacharyulu submitted a memorandum to Rama Devi in that connection.
They said that it has been a practice for the deputy chief priest to accompany the chief priest in performing the pooja rituals during Sri Rama Navami. In the memorandum the priests have given an undertaking to ensure that the mistake committed by Ramanujam would not be repeated and allow the priest to perform Sri Rama Navami rituals.
The issue was not resolved until 9 pm when reports last came in. This development has hurt the devotees, who wanted the EO as well as the Vedic committee to maintain decorum and not to damage the reputation of the historic temple.
