Newskarnataka-Mangalore
Mangalore : If Kudroli Sri Gokarnanatha Temple defied tradition to appoint two widows as temple priests this Dasara, of late the two priests are reportedly not to be seen in the temple.
According to sources, the two priests Lakshmi Shanthi and Indira Shanthi are not in the temple since a week and even management sources of the temple have confirmed this. After all, why are the women priests who were appointed with much fanfare missing from the temple?.
It has been reliably gathered that the two who though were trained to offer pooja to God, were not well versed with vedic hymns and mantras like other priests. Moreover, there was resentment within the temple management over their appointment as senior leader Janardhana Poojari had reportedly not taken the management into confidence while appointing the two widow priests and had all of a sudden made an announcement in the press.
It is further said that the two women priests who had offered pooja to Lord Gokarnanatha and other deities at the temple on the first day were later on restricted to offer Theertha Prasada to devotees in front of the Sri Narayana Guru idol and Dattatreya idol.