Hill Temple devotees denied laddu prasada

Mysuru: Of late, laddu prasada is not adequately available to the devotees of Goddess Sri Chamundeshwari Temple atop Chamundi Hill, which they prefer to carry home after paying their obeisance to the presiding deity.

The inadequate supply of laddus is attributed to the complaints of mismanagement, especially after the administration of the Hill Temple was delegated to the newly formed Sri Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority. It has been a week since laddus are sparsely available, rued a section of devotees yesterday while speaking to Star of Mysore.

Previous system

Prior to the formation of Temple Authority, the laddus were available throughout the day from morning till night, without giving room for any complaints. Apart from locals, the devotees who came from various parts of the country and also abroad had a taste for the laddu prasada available at this temple.

A separate counter to sell laddu prasada is opened behind the main Temple, which is open for darshan from 7.30 am to 2 pm, 3.30 pm to 6 pm and 7.30 pm to 9 pm. It is a habit among devotees to buy laddu prasada and distribute them among their family and neighbours. Due to non-availability of laddus in large quantity, the devotees carry home only the flowers and coconut.

Contractor vendor

During the previous system, the successful bidder of tender was selling laddus. After the formation of Temple Authority, the tender was called off and the Authority itself took over the task of preparing and selling laddus. Now there are complaints of laddu shortage.

On Sunday, 7,000 laddus were prepared and 5,000 was distributed to devotees who purchased special entry ticket (Rs. 100). The remaining laddus were distributed among those who visited the temple through normal entry. Laddus were not available by afternoon, with the authorities also unprepared to meet the demand.

Secretary clarifies

Secretary of Sri Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority M.J. Roopa today clarified that, except for a day, when there was a heavy rush, there were no issues in the availability and distribution of laddu prasada.

To another question on footwear stand at the Temple, Roopa said that arrangements have been made to provide the service without collecting any fee from the devotees. Further decision in this regard will be taken at the meeting of the Authority.