End of an Era: Chilkur Balaji Priest Dr Soundararajan, Who Championed Equality Before God, No More

Hyderabad: Dr M.V. Soundararajan, former chief priest of the Chilkur Balaji Temple and a retired professor and registrar of Osmania University (OU), died at about 2.30 pm on Friday at a hospital in Moinabad. He was 90.

The family said the funeral rites are expected to take place in Hyderabad in the presence of relatives and devotees. Temple authorities have closed the Chilkur Balaji Temple on February 27 and 28 as a mark of respect.

Dr Soundararajan was widely known in Telangana’s public life for his dual role in academia and temple administration, and for his insistence on religious equality at one of the state’s most visited shrines, also called the ‘Visa Balaji temple’. Following his demise, condolences poured in from across state leaders.

Dr Soundararajan served as head of department of commerce at OU and later as its registrar. He also worked as chief warden and Additional Controller of Examinations. The government of undivided Andhra Pradesh conferred on him the best teacher award. His academic career ran parallel to his religious responsibilities, a combination that gave him standing outside temple circles.

Dr Soundararajan’s tenure at Chilkur became associated with a strict refusal to allow VIP queues or quota systems. Every devotee stood in the same line. He encouraged visitors to channel their monetary offerings into subscriptions for spiritual magazines brought out by the temple rather than into privileged access. That position, reiterated in political reactions after his death, formed the basis of his public identity and the temple’s administrative culture.

At Chilkur, which is often referred to as Telangana’s Tirupati, he came to be described as a “people’s priest.”

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said Dr Soundararajan “played a key role in spreading spiritual consciousness and brought special recognition to the famous temple in the country,” while expressing grief over his passing and extending condolences to his family.

Political leaders across parties referred to that reputation in their condolence messages. Former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao said Dr Soundararajan prioritised social values in his service and earned respect from devotees and civil society by asserting that all are equal before God. He called the death an irreparable loss to the Hindu spiritual sphere and said the priest’s practices would serve as an example to youth who choose priesthood as a profession.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu described Dr Soundararajan’s spiritual services as memorable and referred to his lifelong effort to protect temple traditions and autonomy. Former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said Dr Soundararajan had served Lord Balaji for decades and upheld the faith of devotees, while acknowledging his role in temple administration and the safeguarding of customs.

Union minister G. Kishan Reddy said Dr Soundararajan fought against caste discrimination and also to protect the rights of 'archakas' (priests). When the Congress government tried to take control of the Chilkur temple in 2008, Dr Soundararajan boldly resisted it and ensured that devotees get primacy, he said.

RSS Telangana Prant Sanghchalak Barla Sundar Reddy and several other leaders condoled the demise of Dr Soundararajan.