Residents appeal govt not to abolish Made Snana

Mangalore, July 19: The residents of Kukke Subrahmanya have demanded the government not to abolish Made Snana ritual practised by devotees of Subrahmanya temple during the annual 'Champa Shashti' festival.

The devotees have the freedom guaranteed by the Constitution to practice religious rituals of their choice which should be upheld by the government and their rights should be protected, the residents demanded.

Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, temple sculptor Krishnaprasad Muniyangala asserted that Made Snana will be performed this year too without any change in the procedure and the residents would not budge to any pressure from outside. “If a section of people stage stir in the temple premises opposing the ritual, then we too would fight against them. The practise has been followed for centuries and the politics should not interfere in religious matters. It is the responsibility of the government and the society to respect the sentiments of residents of Subrahmanya,” he said.

Citing two responses by the Karnataka Human Rights Commission and the Karnataka High Court on the issue, Krishnaprasad informed that KHRC has sent a letter to the civilians of Subrahmanya in the month of June, clarifying that the Commission cannot interfere in the religious matters and it is up to the devotees to decide over the issue.

Similarly, the High Court in its judgement to a Public Interest Litigation filed by one Chandrashekharaiah questioning the ritual has stated, “The Court cannot give any directions to the temple management as the issue pertains to religious freedom of the individual.” Meanwhile, the civilians have also demanded the section of the society who oppose the ritual to conduct a detailed study on the ritual and then come to the conclusion. “Those who question the Made Snana ritual, why not question the 'Urulu Seve' ritual that the devotees perform on the road from Kumaradhara to Subrahmanya,” he asked.

Religious leader Lakshmish Kabaladka, representatives from the village Rajesh N S and Monta were present.