Chandanotsavam fiasco at Simhachalam: Absence of full-time EO hits holding of annual festivals

Visakhapatnam: The administration of the centuries-old Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Simhachalam is losing its track due to the absence of a full-time Executive Officer (EO).

Lack of the full-time officer is clearly evident during annual festivals, especially the ones like 'Kalyanotsavam', 'Teppotsavam' and the recently-concluded 'Chandanotsavam'.

Dating its history back to the 10th Century, the Simhachalam Temple has an inscription that belongs to the era of Chola King Kulothunga-I. Another inscription shows that the sanctum was constructed in the 13th Century by the Eastern Ganga king Narasingha Deva-I.

There is one more inscription that is left by Sri Krishna Devaraya who visited the temple twice at the time of 1516 AD and 1519 AD to celebrate his win against the ruler of Orissa. People from various parts of the country arrive in droves to witness the 'Nijaroopam' of the presiding deity of Simhachalam temple. In order to host such grand events, experienced personnel play a significant part, especially to host festivals like Chandanotsavam in a structured manner.

Even as V Trinadh Rao was given full additional charge of Executive Officer last September, he has no prior experience in organising festivals like Chandanotsavam. He has been rendering duty in another major temple of Andhra Pradesh Annavaram in East Godavari district. Following his appointment as full additional charge of Executive Officer of Simhachalam, the EO has been shuttling between two major temples of the state. Eventually, giving attention to one temple has become a challenging task. As a result, the annual Chandanotsavam could not be held without hassles. The Devasthanam that comprises approximately 9,000 acres of land, a number of affiliated temples, crores of funds earned through donors, ample gold jewellery and silver ornaments has been suffering due to the absence of a full-time EO for the past four years.

Also, the temple is tangled with over 10,000 encroachments spreading across 'pancha gramalu' of the Devasthanam. The issue is pending in the High Court.

As no EO is continuing for long, the officer of the institution is neither able to focus on resolving the current issues nor gaining a command over the staff and organising festivals hassle-free.

From 2019, only one officer MV Suryakala could discharge her duties for over a year at the Devasthanam from March 2021 to August 2022. This was eventually reflected in the peaceful conduct of Chandanotsavam last year.

After getting transferred, K Ramachandra Mohan left the Devasthanam in August 2019. He was succeeded by M Venkateswara Rao who could only continue for 10 months. Later, B Bramaramba served as full additional charge (FAC) for three months. She was replaced by V Trinadh Rao as EO. After four months, he was later transferred. Following which, D Venkateswara Rao rendered service as FAC for three months. Again, MV Suryakala continued for 17 months as EO. After her transfer, Bramaramba was roped in as EO. Within a month, she was replaced by V Trinadh Rao again as FAC. For the past four years, the EOs of the Devasthanam had never witnessed so many transfers.

Commenting on the development, North constituency MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao pointed out that the Andhra Pradesh government is not in a position to appoint even an Executive Officer for a major temple like Simhachalam Devasthanam.

Keeping the assets, history and responsibilities in view, the previous government proposed to appoint an IAS officer as EO of the Devasthanam. With the subsequent change in the government, the proposal continues to gather dust.

Given the current scenario, the demand for appointing an experienced and capable EO grows intense, particularly, at a time when the organisation of Chandanotsavam drew flak from various quarters.