Over 650 devotees perform 'Made Snana' on second day

Temple authorities went ahead with the ritual after SC stayed the High Court order

More than 650 devotees performed the controversial ‘Made Snana’ ritual at the Kukke Subrahmanya temple here on Monday. 

As is the practice, food was served to members of the Brahmin community after the pooja at the temple.

After the meal, devotees rolled over the plantain leaves with food leftovers to fulfil their ‘harake’ (vow).

Bhaskar Rao, who works in New Mexico, the US, told Deccan Herald he had been performing the ritual for the past three years since his wishes had been fulfilled.

Harish Kothari, a businessman in Dharmasthala, said he had been performing ‘Made Snana’ for five days every year even on the streets at the temple town.

The ritual was under a cloud after a section of society took serious objections to the practice.

The matter reached the High Court and the State government in an affidavit to the Court had said devotees would no longer be allowed to perform the ritual.

Instead, they would be allowed to roll over the food offered to the deity. It was also decided that food shall not be served to anyone else in the outer yard of the temple. The Court had accepted the proposal.

However, Adivasi Hitarakshana Vedike approached the Supreme Court through an emergent petition.

The Division Bench comprising Justices D K Jain and Madan B Lokur stayed the operation of the Karnataka High Court order on December 14 following which the temple authorities decided to go ahead with the ritual.

Police personnel were deployed at the temple as a precautionary measure.