Tirupati: Temple priests and local residents have objected to the recent decision of the trust board of Srikalahasteeswara swamy temple to replace the Crystal Siva Linga (Spatika Linga), believed to have been installed by Adi Shankara-charya.
The main priest, S.M.K. Sadasiva Gurukul, warned the temple management to desist from the move or else he will approach the Court.
According to him, it is not fair on the part of the management to dismantle ancient temples located inside the premises citing master plan.
The management has to seek the opinion of priests and local heads before taking any decision, he said. “I will be the first person to stage a protest if it takes decisions that hurt the sentiments of devotees,” he said.
“There was a proposal to replace the Crystal Siva Linga during the Mahaku-mbhabhishekam in 2000. I approached Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi and asked his opinion. He said that the crack is very slight and it was inside the linga. So there is no need to replace it. He gave his opinion in writing. I handed over the letter to the then temple management. It is not proper to replace the linga once it has been installed unless it is completely damaged,” he said.
The temple trust board in its recent meet had passed a resolution to replace the ancient Crystal Siva Linga which had slight cracks on it.
Devotees believe it is a sacred linga and object to replacing it. The temple management has taken several decisions in the recent times citing master plan, involving the dismantling of several temples inside the temple premises.
For example, it planned to remove Kumbeswara swamy temple and another temple located right next to Patala Vinayaka swamy temple inside the premises.
Added to this, the management stalled the construction of 26 half completed toilets abruptly; they had cost Rs 17 lakh. It also stalled construction of the Sivaiah Gopuram, meant for the use of pilgrims.
The misinformation by the management of the temple that Arjitha Sevas was cancelled in view of the Mahakumbhabhishekam slated for February also created inconvenience to devotees who visit the temple to perform Rahu Ketu Pujas.
