Dalits demand immediate ban to be placed on Made Snana

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, December 11: The members of the Dalit community and other backward communities organized a protest at Kukke Subhrahmanya Temple in Sullia demanding a ban to be placed on the age-old practice of Made Snana, the act of rolling on plantain leaves used by Brahmins for meals to get rid of naga dosha.

This protest was held under the auspices of the Karnataka Rajya Hindulida Vargagala Jagruta Vedike (KRHVJV) and Dalita Hindulida Alpasankhyatara Samanvaya Vedike (DHASV). In his protest speech, KRHVJV President K. Shivarama urged the district administration and the state government to place a ban on such inhuman practices in temples. He also warned the temple authorities that if they do not stop Made Snana immediately, the Dalits and other backward communities in collaboration with like-minded organizations will stage an intense protest against the practice.

Criticizing State Muzrai Minister Dr. V. S. Acharya, who had termed the practice of Made Snana as “innocuous,” he said that such foul rituals should not be held in Muzrai temples.

Vidya Prasanna Teertha, the seer of Subramanya Mutt, recently stated that the Kukke Subrahmanya Temple, which is managed by the Endowment Department of the Government of Karnataka, has nothing to do with the Mutt and is independent of it. He also stated that the ritual is a matter of personal belief and that no devotee is being forced to practice Made Snana.

Made Snana is usually performed by Dalits on special occasions such as the annual shashthi, a 3-day event held in the temple premises.