Petition to Protect Chilkur Balaji Temple from Take Over by AP Government

03-24-2006, 06:42 PM

Dear Friends:

As many of know that AP Government is trying to take over Chilkur Balaki
Temple. Campaign to protect the Temple from take over is on. Please go to
following link and sign the petition.

_http://www.protectchilukurubalajitemple.com/_
(http://www.protectchilukurubalajitemple.com/)

Please FORWARD it other friends.

Thanks
V. V. Prakasa Rao

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The Hindu wrote the following piece

Protest by Chilkur devotees goes online
M.L. Melly Maitreyi
Thousands respond to signature campaign launched against the State's move

____________________________________
Website appeals to devotees to join the movement Agitation is being
spearheaded by hereditary chief priest Soundara Rajan High Court gives 3-month
time
to State to decide on appointment of trust board
____________________________________

HYDERABAD: The protest of devotees against the decision of the Endowments
Department to take over Sri Balaji Temple, Chilkur, has gone hi-tech.
The number of signatures on the online campaign is increasing every minute
with devotees from India and abroad responding to the online petition placed
on the net through the website protectchilukurbala
jitemple.com.
Website launched

The website, launched by a devotee Kishore, describes the unique feature of
Chilkur temple as the only temple which does not have a hundi or tickets for
performing puja.
The movement is for preserving the atmosphere of devotion that prevails in
the temple and to protest against all moves of the Endowments Department to
commercialise it, the website says appealing to devotees to join the movement
being spearheaded by temple hereditary chief priest Soundara Rajan and
thousands of devotees against the move to take over the temple by the
Endowments
Department.
The online campaign titled `Protect Chilkur Balaji Temple from Endowments
Department' seem to have opened a new channel to devotees to pledge their
support and endorse the online petition to be submitted to President of India,
Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, Chief Minister
of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Justice of High Court.
The online petition also says the Endowments Department is misleading the
Government as well as public by citing the High Court order. The order has
given three months time for the Government to decide whether to appoint a Trust
Board or not. "The 500-year old temple, which stood up against the commercial
exploitation of devotees in the name of `darshan', `archana' and sale of
`prasadam' is today facing a very difficult situation."
The petition also says the Endowments Department is misleading the
Government as well as the public saying that the High Court order is against
the
present management. "In fact, the order has given three months time to the
Government to decide whether to appoint a trust board or not. If a trust board
is
appointed on March 12, 2006, this temple will also go the way of other temples
and become commercially exploited," it says.

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