Protest against move to hand over Kotilingala temple to Hampi peetham

  

APIIC chairman S. Sivarama Subrahmanyam, TDP leader Ganni Krishna and others staging a dharna to protest against proposed handing over of Kotilingala temple to Hampi peetham, in Rajahmundry on Thursday. RAJAHMUNDRY: The historic Kotilingala temple on the banks of the Godavari and which was constructed by Hampi Vijayanagara Rajas and maintained by AP Endowments department is in the midst of a controversy. A memo said to have been issued by the Endowments Commissioner with regard to handing over this temple to Hampi Viroopaksha Vidyaranya Mahasansthan has sent shock waves among local devotees, temple trustees, ancestral owners of the temple lands, lease holders of the temple land and other people safeguarding the temple for over seven-eight decades.
In a memo the Endowments Commissioner was said to have handed over this temple and its assets to Vidyaranya Mahasansthan two days ago. Basing on the orders, Sri Vidyaranya Bharati Swami, present Hampi Peethadhipati sent an emissary to Rajahmundry to oversee the process of taking over the Kotilingeswara Swamy temple. However, the local devotees and trust board members on Thursday staged a dharna and started relay hunger strike against the Endowments Commissioner's reported orders.
APIIC chairman and an ancestral devotee of this temple S. Sivarama Subrahmanyam said that Peethadhipati had no right to take over the temple as it was constructed very long back and maintained by local people even from pre-British days. The development, maintenance, conducting of festivals and each and every part of the temple was looked after by local people and in 1927 Noone Ratnam donated some 50 acres of land. He also recalled that there were a number of immovable assets and it was under Hindu Religious Endowment Board during the British time. He said that it was taken over by Endowments department in 1945 and Viroopaksha Peetam had nothing to do with it.
When asked how the Endowment Commissioner had given orders, Mr. Sivarama Subrahmanyam said that he was going to take up legal battle against these orders.
However, the Hampi Peetam made same attempt in March 2008 and the strong protest from local people did not allow them to take over the temple. Sri Vidyaranya Bharati claims that they have complete evidence to show that the temple belongs to them, but they only maintain the temple after handing over from the other party. He promised that they did not want to take a single paisa from the temple.