Bhadradri Parirakshana Samithi alleges violation of religious traditions

Bhadrachalam(Kothagudem): The Bhadradri Parirakshana Samithi members have launched a signature campaign against the violation of religious traditions by the priests at historic Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple at Bhadrachalam.

Samithi's honorary advisor Tejaswi Shama launched the signature campaign at Bhadrachalam. Addressing the media in Bhadrachalam on Wednesday, he said the campaign was aimed at objecting the practice of reciting the name of 'Rama Narayana', with reference to Lord Rama, during Sita Rama Kalyanam.

The Samithi leaders asserted that many Vedic scholars like Gudimalla Murali Krishmacharyulu have clearly established that only the 'Utsava Murthy' was to be referred to as Rama Narayana and the 'Mulamurthy' should be pronounced as Ramachandra Swamy.

Similarly, a retired chief priest Koti Krishnamacharyulu also maintained the above view. There was a contradictory practice of pronouncing the name of Rama Narayana during Kalyanam and pronouncing the name of Ramachandra Swamy at the time of Kanyadanam, they said.

Tejaswi Sharma and others said that they felt disheartened when a noted Vedic preacher Chaganti Koteshwar Rao was subjected to criticism as he pronounced the name of Bhadradri presiding deity as 'Ramachandrudu' during recent 'Mahapattabhishekam'. The Bhadradri Parirakshana Samithi convenor Busireddy Shanker Reddy, member Sharma, Radha Krishan Sastry and others attended the press meet.