Mangalore: Kudroli Temple’s women priests missing?

Mangalore: Kudroli Temple’s women priests missing?

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, OCt 28, 2013: Sri Gokarnanatha Temple at Kudroli in Mangalore, won much acclaim  for creating a revolution during its Dasara festivities this year, by appointing two widows as the Temple priests. But, if sources are to be believed the widow priests are now missing from the temple.

If the women priests performed pooja to the presiding deity  Sri Gokarnanatha,  and all other deities at the temple  on the first day i.e on October 6 in the presence of  a huge gathering including former union minister Janardhan Poojari, on the second day the services of the priests were restricted to  performing pooja to Dattatreya, Sai Baba and Sri Narayan Guru idols.

They were made to sit there to offer Theertha Prasada to the devotees. But, since a week the two are missing from the temple premises, say sources.

Resentment within management :  A devotee has informed that the two priests namely Lakshmi Shanthi and Indira Shanthi were not trained to perform pooja as per tradition  and had not learnt the hymns or mantras and this  had made them hesitate to perform pooja.

It is also being said that Janardhan Poojari had announced the appointment of women priests without taking the temple management into confidence and this resentment might have prompted the women priests to move out. There is also information that the Temple management too has confirmed that the women priests were not performing their duties in the temple since a week.