BJP govt to spend crores to appease rain god in Karnataka

23 July, 2012

After feeling handicapped at handling the drought-like situation, Karnataka government has taken an escape route by trying to appease gods. Special pujas will be held at various temples across the state to pray for rains.

THE KARNATAKA government is under fire for failing to initiate the appropriate steps to handle the drought like situation in the state. So the government has switched to an unconventional method - appeasing god in order to get a solution for this grave problem.

The department of revenue has reportedly issued circular to 34,000 temples to conduct abisheka, varun mantra, jalabhisheka and several other rituals. The idea, has however been opposed by the non ruling party, which felt that the money spent for these rituals could have been utilized for the drought relief purpose. The circular reads, “The government is convinced that it is necessary to conduct the rituals in order to come out of the drought and for the welfare of people and cattle.”

Somasundara Dixit, Chief priest, Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple said that such kinds of poojas and rituals are followed from earlier times and now since the state has received less rainfall this year, most of the temples will be performing rituals to please god to give rainfall.

“At the time of Maharajahs, if people faced any problem, the maharajah used to say: pray the god, tell rushivarya or do pooja. This time ministers are praying to the god due to some rain problems. In Karnataka 34,000 temples have to do pooja as per government order from 27th of this month to 2nd August. Government has proposed this pooja and all the temples have to do varunajapa, parjanya homa and other abishekas from the proposed date,” Somasundara Dixit said, according to a network1media video.

The circular has in particular mentioned some temples like Kollur mookambika, Kukke Subrahmanyeswara Swamy, Durga Parameshwari and Nanjangud Srikanteshwara Swamy.