Kogadu temple official dismisses non-veg row, says Siddaramaiah didn't even enter

Amid news of alleged purification in Basaveshwara temple at Kodlipet in Kodagu district following the visit of former chief minister Siddaramaiah, temple management committee President Varaprasad denied such act and said that the temple is cleaned daily in the morning.

"Former CM Siddaramaiah did not even enter the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He had come near the steps of the temple and the priest had offered him ‘theertha prasadam’ and ‘mangalarathi.’ After receiving it, he left the venue. We did not carry out any purification ritual following the visit of Siddaramaiah. The temple is cleaned daily. Further, to celebrate the Gowri-Ganesh festival, the temple and its surroundings are being given a fresh coat of paint,” Varaprasad told DH.

Also read | Didn't eat meat before visiting temple: Siddaramaiah amid controversy over Basaveshwara temple visit

He said, “Hundreds of people including politicians visit the temple with utmost devotion daily. We can not question the devotees on whether they had consumed non-vegetarian food prior to their entry to the temple. It is the devotion that brings them to the temple. All are welcome to the temple,” he said.

A few days after the visit of Siddaramaiah to the temple in Kodagu, a controversy erupted in the district that the Congress leader entered the temple after consuming a non-vegetarian meal.

“Gowri-Ganesha festival has been celebrated in the temple since 1961. Even during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have observed it symbolically. We could not observe the festival in a grand manner during the last two years due to Covid-19 restrictions. The temple committee arranges for a fresh coat of paint to the temple every year ahead of the festival. Accordingly, the work had commenced last week itself,” he added.