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NEWS: Priests sulk as Jharkhand temple goes online
Priests sulk as Jharkhand temple goes online
>From Indo-Asian News Service
Ranchi, June 15 (IANS) A popular Hindu temple in Jharkhand has opened its
doors online, giving devotees around the world a chance to pay their
respects. But priests at the shrine are far from happy.
The administration of Deogarh, about 350 km from this state capital, has
taken the Baba Vaidyanath Shiv temple online, so devotees can seek the
deity's blessings without actually visiting the shrine.
"People living in other parts of the country and abroad requested me to put
the temple online as has been done with the famous temple of Tirupati (in
Andhra Pradesh). It will help devotees," said Shailesh Kumar Singh, the
Deogarh deputy commissioner.
But the temple priests are sulking.
"The district administration has done wrong by us," complained Durlabha
Mishra, general secretary of the Panda Dharmarakshi Sabha, an association of
priests.
"They are gradually depriving priests of their right to conduct rituals.
They are also violating a court order that has directed the district
administration not to interfere in the temple's religious affairs," he
added.
The administration says it has done nothing wrong.
"Only people in faraway places will offer 'puja' (prayers) on the Internet.
Devotees coming to the temple will still seek the help of priests to offer
puja," said Kaushal Kishore, a magistrate.
The shrine receives about three million devotees every year. During the
Hindu month of Shravan, which usually falls in August, about two million
people flock to the temple to worship Lord Shiv, a part of the holy Hindu
trinity.
The priests and the district administration have been at loggerheads for a
long time now. The priests allege the authorities are depriving them of
their rights.
Two years ago, the Jharkhand High Court had directed the Deogarh
administration to manage the financial and administrative affairs of the
temple but steer clear of religious issues. The administration then
regulated the fee charged for rituals, irking the priests.
And while the priests grumble about the Baba Vaidyanath temple going online,
many have welcomed the move.
"Now I can offer puja to Lord Shiva from Ranchi. It is a tough job to offer
puja there during Shravan," said Rakesh Tewary, a resident of this state
capital.
--Indo-Asian News Service
