VIJAYAWADA: Amid rumours that ‘tantrik pooja’ was performed in the sanctum sanctorum of the Kanaka Durga Temple atop the Indrakeeladri in the last week of December, Endowments Minister P Manikyala Rao on Wednesday said there was no scope for such dark rituals to take place in the temple where the ‘Samarthagnam’ procedure is adhered to scrupulously.
However, Manikyala Rao took serious objection to the involvement of ‘outsiders’ in the rituals late in the night on December 26. He wondered how outsiders entered the temple despite tight security. “A detailed inquiry has been ordered. Facts will come to light after the CCTV footage is examined and action initiated against temple officials based on the report which is expected in two days. None will be spared if found guilty,’’ he said.
The Endowments Minister said strict orders were issued to officials to prevent such incidents in other major temples across the state. “In his hurry to finish cleansing rituals on the eve of First Lady Savita Kovind’s visit, temple head priest L Badrinath Babu took the help of his relative. I don’t think any tantrik ritual took place in the temple,” he added.
Meanwhile, Vijayawada Police Commissioner Gautam Sawang on Wednesday submitted his preliminary report on the rumours about arcane rituals in Kanaka Durga Temple to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
The Chief Minister asked Sawang to appoint a high-level committee to look into the controversy and submit a report in the next 48 hours.
Temple Executive Officer A Surya Kumari denied that any tantrik ritual was performed. Only daily rituals were performed on 26 December. “A detailed inquiry was ordered into the issue. The temple head priest had sought permission only for cleansing the temple sanctum sanctorum and to decorate the deity, but not for any rituals,’’ she said.
The EO said that one Ghantasala Parthasarathy alias Raju was the only outside priest who had entered the temple. ‘’I own moral responsibility for all the confusion and will not comment on the baseless allegations levelled against me. I am ready to extend necessary cooperation to the officials in holding inquiry into the incident and conveyed the same to the Endowments Minister,’’ Surya Kumari said.
“I have never allowed pressure from any quarter to influence my decisions in managing the temple affairs efficiently. The temple witnessed 20 per cent rise in hundi collections and 80 per cent in the revenue through sale of darshan tickets during my tenure. A section of people are targeting me and levelling allegations to spoil my image. I have indeed differences with temple trust board members, but they can be sorted out,’’ she added.
The government reportedly transferred Surya Kumari for allegedly allowing ‘outsiders’ to perform ‘tantric’ pooja. Simhachalam EO S Ramchandra Mohan is likely to be appointed as in-charge EO of Kanaka Durga temple.