BENGALURU: Archakas (priests) working in state-owned temples have written to the Endowment commissioner to ban online services from the portal. They claim that devotees book services the previous night, and the next morning, expect to be given one kilo of puliyogare and one kilo of pongal prasada, “just like they order from a hotel’’.
Karnataka has over 34,000 endowment temples - 205 are Class A temples with annual revenue of over Rs 25 lakh; 193 are Class B temples with revenue between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, and the remaining are Class C with revenue of under Rs 5 lakh. Online services are given to Class A and Class B temples.
However, archakas are objecting to online services as they face inconvenience. “At Class B temples and some Class A temples, there is no provision to store groceries. Devotees book online service the previous night via mobile app, and expect us to provide prasada next morning. They order puliyogre or pongal by the kilo, just like they do in hotels.
This reduces the sanctity of our temples,” the Akhila Karnataka Hindu Devalaya Archaka, Agamika and Upaadhivantha Federation wrote to the Endowment commissioner.
Only a few, like Chamundeshwari Temple in Mysuru and Kukke Subramanya in Dakshina Kannada have warehouse facilities.
Principal Secretary KSN Dixit told TNIE that the mobile app service started one month ago has been given to a private agency.
“The booking is done online the previous night. We charge Rs 300 to Rs 400 for prasada like pongal, puliyogre and even abhisheka. Groceries and time are needed to make the prasada. But devotees come early in the morning and demand 5kg prasada. Even for abhisheka, we need milk, curd, honey, and don’t have space to store these items,’’ he said. They will be meeting Endowment Minister Ramalinga Reddy soon.
Dixit said since booking is done with the help of a private agency, money is credited into the agency’s account and takes weeks to reach the temples. “We need revenue to buy groceries but since the money is paid online, it goes to the agency. This has become a business rather than service,” he added.