Mysuru: The prasada tragedy at the Kichuguththi Maramma temple in Sulawadi, which left 17 dead and 103 ill, has triggered demands by local elected representatives of Chamarajanagar district for the government to take over its affairs from the private trust currently in charge of its administration.
But forest officers are more keen on shutting it down or restricting its activities arguing that the temple and the Sulawadi village are located in the Malemahadeswara reserve forest area in violation of the Wildlife Conservation Act.
While Hanur MLA Narendra has urged the state government to hand over the temple, which has been closed temporarily following the tragedy, to the muzrai department, Deputy Conservator of Forests ( DCF), MM Hills wildlife sanctuary, Yedukondalu V, believes it must either close for good or be asked to limit its activities.
Pointing out that Sulawadi village and the Kichuguththi Maramma temple are 200 to 300 meters within the Malemahadeswara reserve forest area, he says when reserve forests were notified in 1913, they had only a few temples , which were allowed to function.
“But the Kichuguththi Maramma temple has come up in the past 30 years. There are 40 to 50 other small temples in the Malemahadeswara reserve forest area, but they are not very busy, with people visiting them once in 15 days or a few months. So we are planning to submit a report to the forest department to either close the Kichuguththi Maramma temple or to restrict its range of activities,” he said.
Not all those who came to the Kichuguthi Maramma temple at Sulawadi on December 14 were invited for the foundation laying ceremony of the gopura of the temple. Only 25 people, who happened to be heads of a few villages were invited for the function, according to sources. The rest were devotees who had come for Friday’s pooja. While prasada was prepared for 100 people, luckily over 50 others from Bidralli and MG Doddi, who came to the Maramma temple late were saved as there was no prasada by the time they arrived.
