Srikalahasti Priest Suspended Over Private Puja For Actor
The ritual had been performed on May 29 at Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Sannidhi Street, Srikalahasti
NELLORE: State endowments department has suspended a priest of the famous Srikalahasti Temple for performing a private Navagraha Shanti Puja for actor Srikanth’s family outside the temple premises.
The ritual had been performed on May 29 at Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Sannidhi Street, Srikalahasti. Photos and videos of the ceremony have gone viral on social media. This led to criticism as Endowment temple priests are strictly prohibited from performing private rituals outside their shrine.
Following the backlash, Srikalahasti Temple’s executive officer (EO) T. Bapireddy issued a memo on Saturday and suspended the priest Maruthi Sarma.
The EO stated that the priest’s actions had harmed the temple’s reputation, apart from violating the service rules under the Andhra Pradesh Endowments Act.
As per the Endowment guidelines, priests are expected to conduct rituals only within the temple they are assigned to.