Hit hard by lockdown, priests appeal govt for help

Priests of temples that do not come under Muzrai department have appealed to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to provide them relief during the lockdown.

Noting that thousands people eked out a living by performing poojas in small temples, K N Rajakumar Shastri of Mahalakshmi Gurukula said the closure of such temples hasdmade it difficult for them to make ends meet.

"Priests in both in urban areas and rural areas,depended on the offerings of the devotees for all expenses - from paying house rent, water and electricity bills, school fee of the children etc. The lockdown has put an end to all the earnings, leaving them in dire straits," he said.

Shastri said some of the priests working in Muzrai departments had also not been paid their monthly honararium by the government. Both the Veerashaiva Jangama and Brahmin purohit associations have appealed to the chief minister for help.

Stating that priests who have served for decades were suffering to make ends meet, Shastri appealed for the urgent intervention of the chief minister to extend relief.