Mysuru: Priest Family Under Constant Fear of Temple Attached to Mysore Palace
The Temple ‘gifted’ to the priest family by then Maharaja of Mysore is in 30x40 feet dimension where Achar’s mother and his son Pawan conduct daily pujas
BENGALURU: A priest Jayathirtha Achar (53) family worshipping Sri Vonteramacharyara Anjaneya Swamy Temple attached to the Mysore Palace fort wall near Jayarama Gate lives in constant fear of the structure could cave in any moment owing to the structure developing huge cracks.
The Temple ‘gifted’ to the priest family by then Maharaja of Mysore is in 30x40 feet dimension where Achar’s mother and his son Pawan conduct daily pujas.
To make matters worse, the structure/fortified wall of the Mysore Palace is said to be more than a century old and is in dilapidated condition in Mysuru city and subjected to constant neglect from the officials of Mysore Palace Board.
Jayathirtha Achar told Deccan Chronicle on Friday the temple has been run by his family for generations and the 30x40 feet dimension was ‘gifted’ to them by Maharajas of Mysore. Since the year 1915, Achar said his family has been residing in it temple-cum-house attached to the Palace fort wall.
It was in 2016 when Jayathirtha Achar came across cracks in the temple structure attached to the fort wall of the Mysore Palace and he informed the Palace Board officials through a letter to initiate steps to repair/restore the temple structure to preserve the beauty of the fort wall. Jayathirtha has made numerous appeals to the Palace Board which have gone unheeded.
“There is always a fear that the structure could collapse at any moment in heavy rains,” said Jayathirtha Achar and stated that Pawan sleeps at the temple at night alone.
Under constant neglect from officials concerned, the cracks at the temple structure widened over the years and a portion of the structure has tilted giving an impression that the structure slipped. Besides, the cracks have grown in length. However, Jayathirth is unaware “Why officials have not initiated action to the structure part of the fort wall?”
He suspected “May be it is because the temple is a private property, officials concerned have not evinced interest to restore it?”
When contacted, Deputy Director Subramanya assured action from the Palace Board and stated “We have asked the Priest family to vacate to begin repair/restoration works.” He declined to comment further.
Meanwhile, Jayathirtha Achar learnt from reliable sources in the Palace Board that the restoration works could be taken-up after Dasara festivities.