Chilkur Balaji Temple priest MV Soundararajan passes away at 90

MV Soundararajan, senior priest of Chilkur Balaji Temple, passed away at the age of 90 due to age-related illness. Devotees and leaders paid tribute to his spiritual service, reforms and efforts to promote equality and simplicity in worship

Hyderabad: MV Soundararajan of Chilkur Balaji Temple passed away on Friday following age-related health issues. He was 90 years old.

A towering spiritual leader, Soundararajan was widely respected for introducing unique measures to uphold traditions at the renowned Sri Venkateswara Temple in Chilkur.

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Following his demise, devotees and his well-wishers expressed sorrow and poured out their tributes on multiple social media platforms.

They recalled how the late senior priest guided the Chilkur Balaji Temple management to introduce unique initiatives like the ‘no hundi’ policy and his unwavering commitment to serving every devotee as an equal, which ultimately led to the abolition of VIP culture within the temple premises.

Devotees recalled how he was instrumental in popularising the practice of 11 circumambulations (Pradakshinas) for a wish and 108 after the wishes are fulfilled. Many remembered him as a reformer who stripped away commercialisation of faith and ensured that the doors of the ‘Visa Balaji’ temple remained open to all, regardless of status or wealth.

Senior BJP leader Bandaru Dattatreya expressed his grief over the passing of Soundararajan. In his condolence message, Dattatreya said Soundararajan worked immensely to instil faith in the Almighty and foster spiritual awareness among devotees.