RAJANNA-SIRCILLA: The biennial Samakka-Sarakka Jatara in Medaram has come as a boon and collections are up at Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy Devasthanam in Vemulawada of Rajanna-Sircilla district.
The Devasthanam had earned a whopping ₹ 14.38 crore during the last one month following the arrival of lakhs of devotees, and through hundi collections (donations by devotees), Arjita Seva tickets, prasadam, and other sources.
A traditional ritual
It may be mentioned here that it is an old ritual for devotees going on a pilgrimage to Samakka-Sarakka jatara in Medaram to first offer prayers at the Vemulawada temple for smooth passage.
Lakhs of pilgrims had visited the temple in the last one month to offer prayers to the presiding deities at Vemulawada and participate in special pujas and ritual of tying an ox (Kode Mokku) as part of a vow. Pilgrims headed to Medaram Jatara had started pouring at the Vemulawada shrine from January first week onwards and it reached its peak till February 4.
Kode Mokku ticket price up
Temple sources said the Devasthanam has earned ₹ 4,91,76,208 cash only through hundi collections. Followed by a record ₹ 3,79,94,861 only through the sale of Kode Mokku ticket sales - whose price has been increased from ₹ 100 to ₹ 200 recently. From prasadam sales , the temple earned ₹ 1,71,18,670. With the devathanam’s inadequate accommodation facilities, the temple could collect only ₹ 33,95,500 in rent.
The adjoining Baddi Pochamma Temple of the Vemulawada Devasthanam earned ₹ 26, 52,890 through the puja ticket sales, and other adjoining temples have collected ₹ 3,35,04,460. Thanks to the Medaram Jatara, the temple netted a whopping ₹ 14,38,42,590 this season. Compare this with ₹ 11.11 crore in 2018. This year, the shrine’s income was up eased by ₹ 3.27 crore. Incidentally, the temple authorities faced the wrath of the pilgrims during the period following poor sanitation and other facilities. Collector D. Krishna Bhaskar had issued a notice to Executive Officer Krishnaveni for this.
Miffed pilgrims
Against the backdrop of the bad experiences during the Medaram pilgrims rush, the temple authorities were instructed to provide adequate arrangements for devotees during the annual Mahasivaratri celebrations, to be held from February 20 to 22, including the main festival on February 21.
Vemulawada MLA Ch Ramesh Babu, Collector Krishna Bhaskar, SP Rahul Hegde BK, and others conducted a review meeting about the Sivaratri Jatara celebrations.