Row Over Curbs on Marriages at Temple

VIJAYAWADA: The authorities of the Sri Durga Malleswara Swamy temple atop the Indrakeeladri here have courted controversy by imposing certain restrictions on the people performing marriages on the temple premises.

Following complaints from the devotees that the large crowds attending the marriages and the loud music played by the bands on such occasions were disturbing them and not permitting them to pray peacefully, the temple authorities have imposed restrictions on the number of people attending the marriages and the sound levels produced by the  ‘baja bajantris’.

Speaking to Express here, temple executive officer Ch Narsing Rao defended the restrictions saying: “We have received a number of complaints that the crowds and ‘baja bhajantris’ during the marriages are disturbing the peaceful atmosphere at the temple. It is our duty to protect the interests of devotees, not those of the marriage parties. As per rules, we are not supposed to permit the conduct of marriages on the temple premises, but we are allowing the couples to tie the knot at the abode of Goddess Durga with a few restrictions. Now on, they will be subjected to further restrictions with regard to the number of persons attending the weddings and the noise levels produced by the music bands”. 

He said that the crowds attending the marriages atop the hill were not only hindering the free movement of the devotees visiting the temple but also dirtying the area by carelessly throwing food and other wastes in the area.     

However, the temple management’s decisions have been faulted both by the temple priests and the devotees saying that the curbs on the number of guests and the noise levels of the ‘baja bajantries’ were against the Hindu traditions. “Such restrictions will hurt the Hindu sentiments”, said Harinadh Sharma, a priest in the Durga temple.

“We agree that a large number of guests attending a marriage on the temple premises occupy a lot of space causing inconvenience to the devotees, but not the music. Hence, restrictions on music bands are not acceptable,” said K Umakanth, a young man who got married recently on the temple premises. He sought to know how the marriages atop Indrakeeladri have suddenly become problematic to the temple authorities. 

Some devotees are questioning the need for employment of the noisy bands during  marriage ceremonies.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/andhra_pradesh/Row-Over-Curbs-on-Marriages-at-Temple/2015/02/11/article2662768.ece