UDUPI: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (
VHP
) has demanded the
Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department to stop ‘Salam Mangalarati’ that is believed to be performed to commemorate the visit of
Tipu Sultan, at
Sri Mookambika Temple
in Kollur of Udupi district.
A delegation led by VHP divisional secretary Sharan Pumpwell visited the temple and submitted a memorandum in this regard. “Kollur Mookambika Temple has a historic background and it is one of the 108 powerful Hindu Peetas. Offering mahamangalarati in the name of Tipu, the fanatic who is accused of killing thousands of Hindus and demolishing hundreds of Hindu temples, will harm the temple’s sanctity. This has hurt the sentiments of crores of Hindus. Offering mahamangalarati as a ‘salam’ symbolises slavery. So the temple administrative committee and the muzrai department should consider the matter seriously and replace ‘salam mangalarati’ with just ‘mahamangalarati’,” the VHP stated in its memorandum.
Sharan said that the copy of the memorandum has been sent to minister Shashikala Jolle, DC M Kurma Rao and endowment department commissioner Rohini Sindhuri.
“The government should take necessary steps in this regard at the earliest,” he said.
The famous Kollur Temple at the foothills of Western Ghats offers ‘Salam Mangalarati’, a special puja to commemorate the visit of Tipu Sultan in the latter half of the 18th century. The ritual is also called Pradosha puja as it is performed at 7.30pm.
He is an Assistant Editor with The Times of India, Mangaluru.