indiaenews.com

BHOPAL, INDIA, July 7, 2006: A Siva Lingam at a Madhya Pradesh temple has developed a crack and officials have asked devotees not to pour their offerings over it. But devotees and holy men are threatening to take to the streets if the ban is forced on them. The Siva Lingam–a stone icon of Lord Siva–is at the Omkareshwar temple, about 217 miles from Bhopal, and is one of the 12 major lingas in India and Nepal. Offerings of milk, curd, water and other traditional materials on the Siva Lingam were banned by the district administration on the advice of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to save it from further erosion, after the crack was spotted. “A crack was seen in the one-foot Siva Lingam a few days ago and was repaired using a locally made paste but it did not prove effective,” said Swami Tejanand, chief priest of the Omkareshwar Temple Trust. Ashok Kumar Pandey, deputy superintendent of ASI, said, “The damage is being caused by offerings made on the Siva Lingam which is made of sandstone, a soft material.” The ASI has suggested that a glass mounting be placed around the Shivalinga to ensure that devotees do not touch it. “The priest and the administration tried to stop the devotees from making offerings but failed. There were minor skirmishes with some pilgrims,” said an official who visited the temple. Although the temple authorities are of the opinion that religious doctrines permit the replacement of the old Siva Lingam with a new one if needed, there are many who don’t subscribe to this view. “There is no need to replace it. The belief and feelings of devotees will not change even if the Siva Lingam was eroded to half its size,” said Pandid Sudhakar Rao Shastri, who has performed arti at the temple for the past 50 years.

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