After overcoming a hurdle prior to the performance of samprokshanam at Sri Devanatha Swamy Temple at Thiruvahindrapuram near here, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department is facing another stumbling block in organising the 10-day-long Brahmotsav that should have kicked off on Friday.
In the absence of the senior most Bhattacharyars namely Neelamegham Bhattacharyar and Narasimha Bhattacharyar, who have been retired and placed under suspension respectively, the other Bhattacharayars have claimed lack of knowledge in conducting the Brahmotsav.

Therefore, the flag hoisting ceremony that should have taken place in the early hours of Friday did not happen. However, the HR & CE Department is quite keen that the festivities would be held by requisitioning suitable Bhattacharyars from elsewhere.

Executive Officer of the temple K. Nagarajan assertively told The Hindu that even though there was said to be paucity of well informed Bhattacharyars the department was not sparing any effort to bring those who were well versed in Agamas to conduct the rituals.

The search was on all over Tamil Nadu and if such of scholarly persons were not available in the State the department would even explore the possibility of roping in eligible priests from Tirupati.

Mr. Nagarajan emphatically said that the Brahmotsav would not be put off but would certainly be performed by all means. The local community was quite apprehensive that if the utsav was not held they would have to face divine wrath.

He further said that the samprokshanam was performed without any hassles by Pulavanur Kannan Bhattacharyar, thereby ending the uncertainty over the event. The aggrieved Bhattacharyars filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court.

But it is reliably learnt that the High Court has rejected the writ petition. It has come as a shot in the arm of the HR & CE Department to redouble its efforts to go ahead with its efforts to complete the Brahmotsav too without any hiccup.

The Commissioner of HR & CE Department has been directly supervising the arrangements.