Linguistic issue at Pandharpur’s Vitthal-Rukhmini temple Priest conducts rituals in Hindi

Linguistic issue at Pandharpur’s Vitthal-Rukhmini temple
Priest conducts rituals in Hindi

The most revered sacred place of worship Pandharpur’s Vitthal-Rukhmini temple has caught up with the ongoing linguistic issue in Maharashtra State.

It is learned that on August 9, Rahul Satpute, a Nashik based devotee has lodged a complaint with the temple administration alleging that a priest conducted rituals in Hindi following a request from a single non-Marathi family, regardless the majority of attendees being Marathi. Satpute, who had booked a slot to attend the ‘tulsi archan’ puja along with 34 other families, predominantly Marathi, wrote on his verified X account: that when the priest started the rituals, one family objected, stating that they didn’t understand the language. The priest switched to Hindi. Satpute objected and the priest spoke to him arrogantly. Later, he registered the complaint with the temple administration.
Satpute later received a call from one of the senior priests tendering an apology and telling him that the administration would look into the issue.

In response, the temple administration said that the vidhi, or ritual process, was conducted in Hindi, while the mantras were chanted in Marathi and Sanskrit in accordance with tradition. As per Rajendra Shelake, the executive officer of the temple committee, devotees arrive from across India, and some don’t understand the ritual process. They are explained the rituals in Hindi, while the mantras are chanted in Sanskrit and Marathi. In this case, they are investigating the complainant’s claims.

Reportedly, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has demanded for the release of the video footage from the temple administration of the rituals performed on that day and to initiate action against the priest. According to one Dilip Dhotre, an MNS functionary from Pandharpur, “If the temple committee is confident that the rituals were not performed in Hindi, it should release the CCTV footage and that they are going to take up the matter with Raj Thackeray.

News Edit KV Raman

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