Priests battle for control over Belum Vinayaka temple’s fortune

Sri Buchi Ramalingeswara Devasthanam, popularly known as the Belum Vinayaka Temple in the One Town area of the city, priests find themselves embroiled in a legal battle for control as the temple’s annual income becomes a contentious issue. Devotees, drawn to the temple for its unique practice of offering jaggery to Lord Ganesha, have inadvertently turned the temple into a battleground for priests. Unlike conventional offerings, the priests have been accumulating significant wealth by selling the jaggery offerings to merchants, leading to an income ten times more than the temple’s reported annual income of Rs 4.5 lakhs.
Originally a Shiva temple, the Belum Vinayaka Temple gained fame due to the efforts of a priest named Padmanabhasharma. His focus on Lord Ganesha and the strategic sale of jaggery offerings transformed the temple’s fortune, eclipsing its Shiva-centric origins. The temple even earned the moniker ‘Belum Vinayaka’ owing to the popularity of Ganesha worship. Two decades ago, the temple was relatively obscure, with priests from the Daspalla Hotel presiding over it.
However, Padmanabhasharma’s arrival marked a turning point as he directed attention towards Ganesha. This shift sparked a feud, with Dasapalla priests fighting to reclaim control, arguing that they have historical rights over the temple.
The temple, under the endowment sect, faced scrutiny for alleged misappropriation of jaggery offerings. Attempts to auction the jaggery were halted by a High Court stay order, highlighting the complex legal tussle between the temple authorities and the endowment department. Dasapalla Shiva temple priests sought legal recourse in a tribunal, asserting their rights over Belum Vinayaka temple. However, despite their prior inclusion in the endowment Department Register, the tribunal upheld the names of the newer priests, Padmanabhasharma and Srikanth Sharma. The legal battle took an unexpected turn with the demise of the head of the Daspalla priest family.
A recent Supreme Court directive stated that temples with an annual income below Rs.5 lakh should be handed over to trustees and hereditary priests, outside the purview of the endowment department. Srikanthsharma, one of the priests, sought this exemption but faced rejection, as authorities deemed them non-hereditary. With the temple’s main income source—jaggery—continuing to be a point of contention, the legal wrangling persists. All parties involved are vying for full control, creating a complex situation that raises questions about the future management and spiritual direction of the Belum Vinayaka Temple.