The Mysuru royal family has called on the Sidddaramiah-led Congress government in the state to respect tradition after it obtained a stay on the established the Sri Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority.
Yeduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, MP and scion of the Mysore Royal Family, told ANI, “The authority that the state government of Karnataka was going to form to take control of the Chamundeshwari hills has been put on hold by the honourable Court…The practices that have been followed…have to be followed without any break in them…In respect to tradition, the Court has given a stay on this matter until further notice.”
“The matter being sub-judice also, we would not be able to comment much more than that,” he said.
In a swift response, Karnataka Minister for Cooperation, KN Rajanna, said, “Royal family, no prince, no queen now. The same thing, the same quarrel, is also there in the Supreme Court regarding Bengaluru Palace. So this property distribution of this royal family with the government here is also there and in some other states as well. The same dispute is still there.”
Karnataka BJP leader CT Ravi, speaking to ANI, said that the party will release a statement after studying the matter in detail.
“Today, I saw it in the newspaper. I do not have full details. We will release a statement after having an internal discussion within the party. I want to make one request to the Royal Family…We respect the Royal family. We will try to protect the emotions of the public,” he said
Earlier on Monday, Pramoda Devi Wodeyar, the queen mother of the Mysore royal family lashed out at the state government on the issue.
“Chamundeshwari Devi is the presiding deity of the royal family, and the Sri Chamundeshwari temple on Chamundi Hill and other temples are private properties of the family. However, the government enacted the Chamundeshwari Land Development Authority Act 2024 to take over the ownership, control and management of the temples under the guise of development and management of the Chamundeshwari field. We have gone to court against this act and the High Court has stayed the formation of the authority. Therefore, this act is said to be unconstitutional,” a statement from her said.
“In the 26th Amendment to the Constitution in 1971, the then-central government said that the royal families should submit a list of their assets. Accordingly, the Mysore royal family had listed several properties, including a temple on Chamundi Hill, as belonging to them. It was signed and approved by the then Chief Secretary to the State Government in 1972,” she added.
The legislation establishing the Sri Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority was enacted in February. According to the Act, the state government assumed ownership, administration, and management of all movable and immovable properties associated with the Sri Chamundeshwari Temple.
Pramoda Devi Wodeyar says that various suits regarding the properties are in court.
“All the governments since independence till date have given us trouble. In 2001, the Srikanthadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar filed a lawsuit in court alleging that the Chamundeshwari temple in Chamundibetta and other temples and other properties belonged to the royal family of Mysore. It is still under trial in the Division Bench of the High Court,” her statement said.
“The government is not allowed to commercially exploit the divinity and religious sanctity of the temples. Some people ask for land because they have lost their land. So what we have lost is not the land? Shouldn’t we also be given land to land? He assured me that. Why don’t those who give when others ask and cannot give when we ask?” she added.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
