No cutting a sorry figure any more over draping deity

There will be no more controversies on the saree used to drape the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari in, while placing it in the golden howdah, to be taken out in the Jamboo Savari procession as part of Dasara.

District incharge Minister V Somanna has directed the officials concerned to get a saree on behalf of the district administration for the purpose, henceforth.

The saree that the idol of Chamundeshwari was draped with, in the golden howdah during the Jamboo Savari in 2017, was in the news for all the wrong reasons.

Then Mayor M J Ravikumar had offered four sarees to the goddess, in the name of then JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy. But, when he saw that another saree was used to drape the idol with, he was disappointed.

The idol was draped in a saree presented by the family members of then chief minister Siddaramaiah. Chamundeshwari temple chief priest Shashishekar Deekshith had clarified that the saree donated by the chief minister's family was used to drape the idol with and the saree given by Ravikumar was placed on its shoulders.

After releasing the Dasara Kavigoshti (poets’ meet) poster, here, recently, Somanna, said that donation of a saree to drape the idol with gives rise to one-upmanship among politicians.

“Lobbying with the district administration happens on behalf of the political leaders, to accept use the saree donated by them to drape the idol with. This creates unnecessary confusion and politics is involved. There is no need to accept the saree as donation. The government, which is organising the event, is capable of buying a saree worthy for Goddess Chamundeshwari,” he said.