HYDERABAD: Former chief priest of Chilkur Balaji Temple MV Soundara Rajan passed away due to ill health on Friday. He was 90.
A former registrar of Osmania University, Soundara Rajan was instrumental in developing the temple, which later became popular as the “Visa Temple”.
He removed the temple hundi in 1998 and stopped accepting donations from devotees. He ran a magazine titled VAK (Voice of Temples), and the income generated through the magazine was used for the maintenance of the temple.
He relentlessly fought for the autonomy of temples across the country and opposed VIP darshan, ensuring that all devotees stood in the same queue at the Chilkur shrine. Soundara Rajan opposed the temple takeover attempt by the Endowments department in 2006 and launched the Temple Protection Movement.
On his advice, devotees used to perform 108 circumambulations around the temple, believing that they would obtain a visa to the United States. His son, CS Rangarajan, is now the chief priest of the temple.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu condoled the death of Soundara Rajan.
Soundara Rajan brought special recognition to the Chilkur Balaji Temple, Revanth said. BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao described him as a “praja pujari” (people’s priest).