Seers representing various Hindu religious mutts who met in the temple town of Tirupati on Saturday demanded restoration of hereditary priesthood in Tirumala temple and asked the state government to keep off the temple affairs.
The meeting under the banner of “Tirumala Tirupati Samrakshana Samithi” was held under the auspices of Hampi Peeth head Sri Vidyaranya Bharati.
It was attended by prominent seer of Sri Peetham Sri Paripoornananda Swamy, Hindu Temples Protection Committee chairman Sri Kamalananda Bharati and other seers.
The meeting took stock of the situation in the Tirumala temple in the wake of recent controversy over forced retirement of former head priest A V Ramana Deekshitulu.
The seers demanded that the government restore the hereditary priesthood in the Tirumala temple and withdraw the order fixing retirement age for the priests.
“The government should not interfere in the religious rituals in the temple,” they said.
The seers also demanded that the state government order a judicial inquiry by a sitting high court judge into missing of ancient jewellery of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirumala.
They expressed concern over the recent controversies in the temple, which damaged the reputation of the temple and disturbed its sanctity.
The meeting also demanded setting up of a Dharmik Mandal with prominent religious heads to oversee the temple rituals, removal of all non-Hindus from all wings of the TTD and spending the revenues of the Tirumala temple only on spiritual programmes of the TTD.
