Mysuru: Days ahead of the official reopening of the Sulwadi Kichchugatti Maramma temple in Hanur taluk, Chamarajanagar nine agamiks from the muzrai department arrived at the temple on Wednesday evenings and started rituals and pujas. The shrine grabbed national headlines following the death of 17 devotees after they ate poisoned prasadam in December 2018.
The rituals and pujas will continue at the shrine till the shrine is officially reopened to the public on Saturday. Chamarajanagar deputy commissioner MR Ravi, MLA R Narendra will be among those in attendance at the ceremony to mark the reopening of the shrine.
On December 14, 2018, 17 devotees became victims of a conspiracy hatched by a few people involved in the administration of the temple to usurp control of the shrine.
Kollegal assistant commissioner Girish Badolli said that the temple had undergone a renovation, a project that cost Rs 35 lakh. “A new guest house has been built, mass feeding halls constructed and closed-circuit television cameras installed at key locations,” Badolli told TOI.
In its recent order, the government reappointed all the nine priests who had been serving at the temple before.
The reopening ceremony on Sunday, however, will not be a grand affair since precautionary measures have been put in place in view of the Covid-19 crisis. “The number of people allowed to enter the temple will be restricted. All devotees will have to wear masks, and they will all be scanned in accordance with the instructions issued by the government. We have also prohibited temporarily feeding of the devotees, overnight camping and accommodation at the temple guest house. Devotees can visit the temple and seek darshan between 10am and 6pm,” Badolli added.