In Letters To Lord Shiva, Devotees Request For Better Facilities At This Mysuru Temple

Srikanteshwara Temple is a popular Lord Shiva temple in the Nanjangud town of Mysuru district of Karnataka. The festivities at this temple attract thousands of devotees each day. The earning of the temple often crosses crores as registered during the offering count of the hundi. This time, when the trunk was opened for count, some letters were found in which the devotees made a unique request to God. In the ‘request letters’, the devotees asked for divine intervention for their problems regarding the poor facilities at Srikanteshwara Temple. As per the media reports, a total of 1.12 crore were collected in July 2024. Additionally, 51 grams and 380 milligrams of gold, 1.8 kg of silver and 40 foreign currency notes were deposited in hundi. The letter, wrapped around a Rs 100 currency note, was discovered during the donation count on August 6. Devotees have complained to Srikanteshwara Swamy, especially about the management board of the temple.

One letter read, “My grandfather, my father, myself and my son are all your devotees. We come from far away to see you every full moon and on special days. Father, all our difficulties are removed from your sight, Lord. But, coming to see you will be very difficult. There is not even a small place to sleep at night. If you go to the Kapila River to take a bath in the morning, you will see garbage everywhere.”

Another letter targeted the disparity between the rich and the poor. It read that rich people often afford to stay in lodges while poor people are beaten with sticks if they sleep at the temple premises. “If I sleep in front of the Temple, they’ll beat me with a stick or stomp on me with their boots. They’ll give me an address to go to a lodge. How can I go, being a poor person… Lord Srikanteshwara, you are the one to alleviate the suffering of your poor devotees,” read another letter as quoted in a media report.

The devotees asked Lord Shiva to impart wisdom to the officials of the board of temple management. They have requested a residential housing complex for their stay.