AHMEDNAGAR, MAHARASHTRA, March 10, 2011: The management of the Shani-Shingnapure Temple struck down a decades-old tradition of compelling devotees to wear wet ‘lungi’ (sarong) before praying to the Sun God here, an official said. Thousands of devotees welcomed the move, said Shani-Shingnapure Temple Trust Chairman Shivaji Darandale.
The trust spokesperson Tuvar Patil said the move would help protect the murti of the Sun God which was showing wear and tear. ‘Devotees used to come in dripping wet clothes. Then they applied oil and other things on the statue. We have noticed that the statue has become chipped and the tiny pieces are lying there,’ Patil said.
‘The tradition of wet clothes came into being a few decades ago, but was misused by a few elements. There were many complaints in this regard. So the temple trust has decided to abandon it with immediate effect,’ said Darandale. There were allegations that the devotees were exploited and forced to wear the rented wet lungis and buy ‘prasad’ (offerings) at exorbitant rates from the 300-odd stalls outside the temple premises.
The temple town is around 186 miles from Mumbai. The village of 3,000, attracts nearly 30,000 devotees from all over the country daily and the figure goes to over 100,000 during weekends.