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CHENNAI/KANCHEEPURAM, INDIA, March 18, 2004: The controversy over the alleged remarks on Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam by Sri Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam on Wednesday took a new turn with the Kanchi Pontiff blaming it all on the media, reports this article. “The media misquoted me on the issue,” he told reporters in Chennai. The controversy began following the Kanchi seer’s reported remarks against Sri Tridandi Chinna Sriman Narayana Ramanuja Jeer over the conduct of rituals at Tirumala Tirupathi. He was quoted as saying that the Tridandi Jeer did not know the difference between the Vaikhasana agama, which had been traditionally followed in the temple, and Visisthadvaita philosophy, of which the Jeer was a proponent. The reported comment had followed complaints by the Tridandi Jeer that the repair and renovation work and the rituals at the temple were not being done based on the agamas. The Kanchi seer had also reportedly taken objection to the large amount of funds from the TTD being donated to the Jeer for his social service programs. The controversy had been fueled further by five Vaishnavite seers holding a press conference in Chennai on Tuesday condemning the Kanchi pontiff and what they described as a Saivite (more precisely, HPI adds, a Smarta Sampradaya) attempt to interfere in Vaishnavite traditions. In an attempt to put the controversy at rest, the Kanchi seer said on Wednesday that he had in fact told the media in Hyderabad a few weeks ago that the rituals were being conducted according to Vaikhanasa traditions and that the complaints of Jeer Narayan in this regard were not correct. “There was no way I could criticize either Tirupati temple or Vaishnavism as such because Lord Venkatachalalpathy is my family deity. In fact, the Adi Sankara had worshipped at the temple and several Saivite monks had also considered Tirupati Venkatachalapathy as their family deity.”

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