Restore status of hereditary archakas: Chilkur temple chief priest

Convenor of Temples Protection Movement and chief priest of Chilkur Balaji temple on Thursday urged the State government to revive hereditary Archakatvam in ancient temples of Telangana State including Bhadradri, Vemulawada, Basara etc.

Hyderabad: Convenor of Temples Protection Movement and chief priest of Chilkur Balaji temple on Thursday urged the State government to revive hereditary Archakatvam in ancient temples of Telangana State including Bhadradri, Vemulawada, Basara etc.

The Temple Protection Movement has been trying to protect traditional temples and restoration of rituals by such Hereditary families of Archakas, he said during a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister, Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday.

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The State Government has to notice the fact that Supreme Court had positively responded to the writ petition of Dr M V Soundararajan in 1996 that traditional temples, rural temples would close down if the Government insisted on stopping the rituals of hereditary Archakas, he said.

In Telangana, the decision by Officials of the Endowments Administration to transfer Hereditary Archakas is an offshoot to the non implementation of the 2007 Amended Legislation in which the Hereditary Archakas cannot be transferred. The same Amended Legislation is not yet implemented.

The Chief Priest gifted his LLM thesis “Government Rules Hindu Temples” to Bhatti Vikramarka and requested him to do the needful in this regard. The Deputy Chief Minister was quick to assure all possible help in the same.