Chaos prevailed for some time at Kukke Subrahmanya temple in Dakshina Kannada district after temple authorities suspended sarpa samskara sevas as per government’s Covid-19 guidelines on Wednesday.
Unaware of the guidelines of the government, devotees from far off places had descended on the temple to take part in the seva on Wednesday. The devotees were seen taking temple authorities to task for cancelling sevas without any prior notice.
One devotee said, “We had booked the seva two to three months in advance. As per the booking, we had arrived in the temple town to take part in the seva. Now, the seva has been cancelled.”
Temple management committee clarified, “We are adhering to the guidelines of the state government. Sarpa Samskara seva is a two-day event. As no sevas can be performed from April 22, we have cancelled all sevas from Wednesday." Sarpa Samskara is the most sought after seva at the Kukke Subrahmanya Temple.
Kukke Subrahmanya Temple Executive Officer Ningaiah said that darshana of the deity, sevas/distribution of theertha prasadam, food, allocation of rooms in lodgings and guest houses remained suspended until further order from Wednesday night. All pre booked sevas will remain suspended and priority will be given for those who had booked when the government relaxed the guidelines.
"The daily puja rituals will be restricted to the temple staff, priests and public are prohibited from taking part in the puja rituals," he