CM breaks 'tradition' of worshipping banni tree

After breaking the jinxed town tag of Chamarajanagar, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah revealed his socialist side once again on Monday. Unlike his predecessors, he skipped the ritual of offering puja to banni tree (considered auspicious and worshipped during Dasara) on the premises of Suttur Mutt at the foot of Chamundi Hill.

Siddaramaiah who arrived at the mutt in the morning for breakfast, a practice followed by the mutt during Dasara, enjoyed the repast with dosa, idli and chow chow bath (upma and kesari bath). Prior to that he paid obeisance at the temple of Goddess Chamundeshwari at the mutt. However, he stayed away from offering puja to the banni tree, the ritual practiced by previous chief ministers Jagadish Shettar, D V Sadananda Gowda and also B S Yeddyurappa, all of the BJP leaders. It is said that Yeddyurappa started the tradition.

When media persons tried to ask him about the same; all he said was, “I have come here on the invitation of the swamiji,” he said.

Governor H R Bhardwaj and his wife Prafullatha Bhardwaj also visited the mutt and worshipped the Goddess.