Chapter-IV

Management end Temple-functionaries

Sri Bhramara.mbha Mallikarjuna Swamy

oevasthanam is one of the ancient shrines in Bharata

oesam. It is the second KShetram in owadasa Jyothirlingas

and Bhtamarambhika is one df the Astadasa peethas in

India.. Not only in Iythihasas but also in all PUranas

~e importancE! of its management find place. During

the East India Conpa.ny rule the wot:ehip and management

of ~he temple was given over to the PUshpaqiri-Pitha .•

In the year 1929# the management of the temple was

1 taken over by the Ex• H. R. A Board Madras state.. And

1.1985 Manual by the Chief commissioner of Endowments, Govt. of Andhra pradesh,Hyderabad,pp12-13.

123

vJhen Shri Paldi Lakshmaiah, the then Trust aoard

Chairman was the commissioner of Endowment

Department of Andhra Pradesh with his devotion and

zeal laid ghat road at a hUge cost paved ·way fer its

2 p~esent gtowth.

At present, them is a Trust

Bo<u:d is nominated by Govemment o£ Mdhra pradesh

and the aoard is headed by an eXperienced Luminaxy

of Rayalaseema Regien;,whQ had the experience of

beading Endowment Department as commissioner for 7

years. Thera ure 10 other trustees also appointed

3 by Govemmant of Andhra Pradesh•

2•Ibid•••i 3.Ib!4-p14e

124

Now .• , I. shall briefly mention the other

staff,who work in this sacred .. complex here. In the past,

most temple- functionaries wete heredi,t;(lty end most of

them had been gx:anted ina.m-villages(agraharatns) like

I

the ritual-.specialists,althouqh some had only minor

hereditar:y,but ware instead employed by independent

body ,namely,.Endowments of Andhra Pradesh Govemment.

The most important category under this heading was

4 the group of cooks,artisans and temple-servants•

othe~ set:Vicing staff \iere employed regularly by

oevasthanam to pmv$de speci fic•seJ:Vices at festivals

l.25

or other occasions at \'1hich they were .:teq,Ui red., Since

the abolition of in~estates,all these staff have

been paid salaries by the nevasthana.m and cannot be

dismtssed' except for serious misconduct according to

5 ~heir Union's contract.Ho~ver,.laxge number of fotmerly

heradt.taty personnel; have given up their rights 1n

the temple"main·ly since the aboU t1on of in am

estates. various other personne.l fo:cmerly employed

by endowments am also the admir4stration employees

6 · to-day at: srisa11am.-An1mal•keepers and a host of

peon.s;-sweepers#-baJ:bers etc .. ;; have also been taken on

S .. Ibid ••• -.'

6 .. Ibid. ~·"

126

·to~aon~lo:. '"J:h(). ~J.Vtset'lf•clarical $Wf of 'ter.tple .I ' • ;!

1

to any d~otee·,wb;o. mtrJ hav$ a g~utno c~lvlnt.

127

interrelationships and such illl effort requires at

least a provisional outlook of their wor"kS as

respondents we~ asked to choose one of ths four

given answers fo.r the question of handling tample·•·s

management. This reveals, their adjustment in the

work like to share at festival•time;an equal

percentage have supported the statement that the

tenple-work is meant for them., Nearly,l.4• 3 per cent

respondents along with its Executive-.officet are

a9reed that there is nothing wz:ong .in helping the

128

pilg~ims during the festive-:;1eason .. A noticeable

feature is that the temple- functionaries have mom

flexU>l~ at-titude in" the matter of sharing ternple·• s

and beliefs that &re acted cut in rites ,dramas and

fast!vals.It sh~s and is sha...oed' by the feelings~

ideas and behavior of those#:who practice it. It is

essential for us to recognize the multifaceted

character of the data and theL-r eomplex-intercone.

ctions among its various components. For example,

busines&-l~ks are frequently seen hel'e on ritual

occasions and presented as eXplanations for wh¥ rites

are performed ~cording to certain-pattems.In this

129

festival-process in honor of these temple--functionaries,

the celebtants participate· in a symbolic and social

sequence of episodes that takes them through phases of

intex-rel·auve-und~rstanding~which is marked by public

dancing.,parading and the J;elaxatiC!lll Gf -~rdina:;y social

hierachi,cal behavior toward reintegration and the re-

assettion of normal~soeial xoles with traces of feelings

a·t, having passed through the Ugadi-festiVial process

fmm Kannada-desa, sociO"!'histor.t.cally looking into

a it• s facts.:

e.ai-~nual report,$ of temple-functions,published by the Dy.comm1$Sioner of Endowments1 Sr1sailam,A.P. 1986•87 ,p.·45.

130

.-F.-o..;;rm;...;.;.;;a ... l_an,_d_n...,o.;.;n;.;..•_· .... fo.-xma--._l_a_s;.:::;p...oec..-!.!!, The pri vate•property by

the templ~personali ties is still immense and a much·

. better management of the-ir resources according to the

lec.al-incometax off!cer•s S.nfomation.~Whom- I had met

him in my· recen~trip to the aboVe place. In the past,

. . most people informed me that. these t:empl&oooff1c1als

wexe hereditaz;y and. most of them had been granted

inam lands like the' priest$ hex-e,'. although some ha.d .-=- -·

only minor-estates and a very few had not lands at all •.

These functionanes,too,onllf continued legitimately to

hold their inam-lands if they dischaxged the associated·

duties in the ~mple.,.a.nd virtually eveeything stated

131

above categoty ... special1stsi.who equally applied;.mutati s-

mutandis to otherr p.ersonnel lends as well,., The p"esent

contempo"a'Y situation is vecy different 4ue to their

links with the devotees or pilgdms• ESpecially rich

advattage ·Of low rate of these temple-l~ds to make

these people and they try to divert the legal•nomns

due to their stl't)ng politieal-influence at state as·

\-tell as at National-level. There are many cases in this

eontext,who misused the position of sacred ... fanns and

9

temple--landS•Howevet.a. laz:ge number of foxmerly

9.Ft:Gm. challa Kooda.yya COmmission Repon#Govt.~of A.P. 198~87~HY'D•

132

hel:editaw pe~sonnei have given up their right:s in the

Temple.,.mainly since the abolition of ln~estates.

Temple and in others they quit after the disputes due

to politics and rampant•cor:ruption in the nevasthanarn•s

administration •. some ~f them have been rep~ed by

the above caste for ea,pturing cheap .rated lands of this

temple. They tr;y to establish th(')ir own lobbies with

sophisti.eatecl machineey and keep on. taking the advantage

of low-prl.ees he~e.It ultimatell' generates a negative

1o di xection towards 1.-noc;.ent devotee here•; The local

communists exposed these manipulat!on,but later·

collaborated \dth them ...

1'0. Ibid •.• • ,,

133'

Devasthanam• s Executive-officer along

with his subordinates will take an initiative--step in

all matters.u.censes of shops will be pertained only

with his/her seal and this will help the gro,tth of

oxgcnised-business and solve the pmblem of high-

~tes,-which a~ charged oy priv.trte shopkeepers here.

This will also stop the expl.Qitation by the croolt.ed·

commeJ:C3.al monopc lists; at: this place.:oepending on· the

market and the situation of the shop besides the rental.

value amounting to from xupees one hundred seventy to

RS.1,700 per month,'the chaxges will go high accotding

11 to fee tiv&!'·season •

11.-From, the intwductaey part _of Accounts and

statistics hendbook of Srisaila"'"oevasthanam,pl-7,

Year:19BB.

134

At present.;nea:rly 81% of the total

expenditum of the temple ts met ou~ by the donations.

becomes the foeal.•point for pilgrim and shopkeeper to

interact in tams of economic-needs. OUtside devotee

a1so look more for their peJ:"senal•intarest as well e$

12 interest in sacred-unit here.The State Gover.nment for

which it pays to purchase the ration ·mr temple-needs•

It eost RS•1• 79,000 per annum ac:cord1nq to 199i Manual,.

wnicb is recently relaased by the Chief commissioner cf

storage-· rooms i:n tha di fferent.-comers of its main

135

canplex.It is known as•·goaams"or•godo\'ms•- ... They are used

life-donors,.maths,,trusts,monasteries.1dharmasalas to

conduct the main~ntual functions.Both the p~iests and

these fUnct.ionartes are self-custodians of deities like

exact origin of these two gmups professionally is much

mown in their Jajma.ny..units. It wes mentioned tha1t the

recoJ:tie,which proeessedl by them are authentic for provi-·

13 ding full-info:anation about clans tri.th their Gotrams. The

income of these gxoups has exceedect EW •. 7So per annum

-----------------=·----------·-------=------0------------·---13. From tho introduction of monthly-blille~n on soci.o• religious and cultural functions,Srisaila-o~asthanam, A.P.1986 .... 87 .,p.l.

136

fxom the known pilgrims.But they are not satisfied due

to their hunger for money and othe>r luxrud.es,.It is

tNe that il.n recent years economic~eed and that

there was a bmd of templ$- funct1onartes#.who prayed

. ,.

for growth and well being of 1ts Devasthanam. Ritual$

are the soul of all cultures' and the basic art of it

within; this main•complex.They can be so complicated

that even a learned priest would have to devote his

life time· to master them.The atterl'tion to ritual-the

different \'lays in whic=h one cooks,when one washe~,

whom one can engage in conve~sation and ho'i one drapes

one• s sari or dhoti 1 s trad1 tion ally solely attributed

to it.

13'7

Here,then,is a powel;'ful nexus of socio·-

economic and other cult.uraJ.,.;.moms.The artists;the poets

and the \i'riters oue the pilgrims an idiom,which is com-

prehensible to a la.J:ger section of them, everyone is

14 encouraged by the above functionat.ies, 'rhe main- stream

should aim at bringing culture within eaoy mach of the

pilgrims,f'f"nsy have a pQWerful impact en the spiritual-

ma1terial well being of the society and at the same time

they also significa1tly shape the perspectives and

15 iitllflusnce the religi ou&-ethos here.several• function aries

in the past. have employed' it as a powerful instrument. ana

this requires attention to the o%gan1zational aspects of

14.Fmm my field-d.at:~

15 •. Ibid•·• •. ,,

138

temple he.re. They continue to be- con fined to th~ mote

pos~tive-a.spects of saered,.cultute and exposed suffi ....

ciently to the tradition of Shaivites her~ &.nd such a

cultuxe is so vital within terrpl@comple:x to glorify (

promote cmativity in the fields o£ lit~ratureimusic

tmd visual cnd gz;aphic. ..... arts as well as other important

16 culturnl units from a socia~purpcse.it lt has been said

that functionad.es a~ great at planning and in imple-

menting it•, The templ~bureaucracy has been singularly

flexible, in tesponding to our chan.ing sccial and

17 sacred environrnent.-The generalist-administrator is

16•Ibid •• .,,

17 • .-Ibide •.•. ,

139

obviousl:y interested with the implementation of net~

policy for terqple'• s development at ,regional and

national l~al,respecUvely speaking.

in a vrell const! tuted executiv&-body of this temple.I:t

is an essentially a. categocy of different class emp•

loyees ·structt1rally defined· ~!Ccording to Endowments Act

of Andhra Prad~Sh Govt., s. Class-III and clas&o-IV jobs

aoo resetved ibr scci~econom1cal1y deprived castes an~

interests of -these functi{.)D~ri-s-o are clo$ely tied to

tha income as profitability of temple• a ·existing-

economy.'

l\.40

clearly a culture o£ myth and ritual is

seen as part of their entire cultural heritage'. Indian

temple-functionary need a fresh look,and a great deal

of no:tmative--thinking l$ needed ·to modify our sacred

sttuc:ture.In this context#we shall have to assess our

existing $Bc~culturml perspectives and x-efash1on

them to sUit. the· changed cireumstances.Naturally, the

staff(etsPecially these functionaries) had to tread vgxy

carefully,..Tbe fi·nal R,eport of JUstice Challa Kondayya

Commission made .new recommendations to impmve their

conditions. It arrived at good conclusions~which wexe

betterment of speeific-dUt,ies by them at these sacl:OO

18 complexes.:These efforts to ration all se temple-policy

------------=---------18o From the Report of Justice challa Kond'ayya

Commissionu1983=87uGOVtoof AoP.HyD.

141

making illustrate some significant features of sacred

cum economi·e relations t-dthin the coxrplex.The sccio-

economic uutonomy(~rhich J-ustice chnlla I<ondsyya commi•

ssion 1983•87 ~~d conceded to this temple) did indicate

that the state contml wD:s being substantially seen ana

srisailarr~temple was moving intG the pc.siticn. of bala-

need stage. Fiscal-.autono~ and special~proteetio.n

range of p.ilg rim interests anc3 to gat.iler support in

KUmool district as its milestones in tl1e coming 90''s•

This dGes mean that the Ind1an-tett;ples.,espec1 ally

those that did interact \11.th sacred-interests;did gain

from it.It. must also be noted tha.t the sccred-.economy•s

142

monetaey and finaneial policies tenC.ed to limit the gains

some of a..-, important structural cha."l.ges in th~ above

temple's econorrrf.The sacred-complex of Srisui:iam carried

substan t.ial '!tJeight <:Jnd retain.ed 1 ts cape.ei t~r to influence

and tl!a."l ted protection. In the l99o·•s~ thG tGmple- funct•

its economic interrelationships between State's treasuxy

143

19 is !n eonsultat.ioo ~ri.~h t.:.T-tese t~le- ftlnetien~rles:.

·~w .,.. -~,..

l9.From the Nottces Q'.l 1nco~~di.str~wt1ati ~d: ~~ditu.re from 1~51 t.o 1989 of srtse.ila-DeVi:lstbanem.A.P .•

144

'rhe income of the temple has ~)cceeded 2

crores per annum.Tbere are "120 fumished cottages and

a chOl1ltries consisting of 250 rooms connt.n)cted and

managed by Devasthanam.nevasthanam provides free- feeding

also to the pilgrims daily:.Besldes these there are 400

~oms oonotructed by private .associations.M un,i.que

featura .of Srisailam, is that almost all the caste~

exj.etf.ng in Andhra Pradesh have constructed their own

choultries with the donations colleeted mostly from

their canmunity people, who axe worldng hexe as· temple• s

20 main.-functionades.They am thrown open to all the

21 pilgrims irrespective of caste or communal-feelings.

Kaly ana nandapam has been completed at a cost of 9

-~~~----~--------------=-~--------~·=-------------20.Ibid ••• , 21.Ibtd •• •'#

14;5'

lakhs.Ptasadam is also distributed freely in the moxning

and evening to the pilgrims here.Maths and trusts are

doing liberally good services along with voluntax:y cum

private-·agencies to constru~t their 01.rm choultries to

provide free accommodation to tha pilgrims particularly

22 to the poo~section.

The Davasthanant is x:unn in g tran aport

service to all eotnsts of the State with 26 buses cov~~nq

23 a distance a£ 7000 kilometers pe~· day. Besides oevastha-

nan transport:,-A.P.S.R.T •. C,Karnataka Transport· Serivce.

Maharashtra Transport and private transport systems are'

being mn daily bringing about 3,·ooo pilgrims en ol'dinaty

days and a,ooo pilgrims on festival-days like Karteek"dm,

p ....,..;..~,---------=------·----------22.Ibi4e·· •·1 23.Ibid.-.,

14.6

Navarathrulu and oth~r functions.ouring ugad.l and sivaratri

more t.hm e lakh of pilqr.:tms will v~sit.'l'he pilgrims

are no'"' taJd.ng holy dip in river Krishna at Pat.a.laganqa,

which is at a distQnce o.f this main..,. complex-. To avoid this

trouble to the pilgrims,Devasthanam has taken up new

bathing-ghat· near PUshkarin1 through it's own water

24

Supply Scheme at a cost ef one lakh rupees.

The recent construction of srtsailam

~dro Electric project abOut a kilometer,dow.n Patala-

ganga has brought about many changes including roads

und project colonies· with the modem•amenlties.eonse-

quently;the once .impenetrable hill forests on both sides

25 not-1 p~esent a totally different view•

~·--------M--=---------~----------~------------·--------24_.Ibid•.•·· .,,

25 •. Ibid •• • •,