This story is from March 9, 2020

Karnataka: Chamarajanagar priests to chant mantras in Kannada

In a first-of-its-kind experiment in the state, the Chamarajanagar district administration has asked temple priests to recite mantras and perform rituals in Kannada to be more accessible to devotees.
Karnataka: Chamarajanagar priests to chant mantras in Kannada
Chamarajanagar deputy commissioner MR Ravi
MYSURU: In a first-of-its-kind experiment in the state, the Chamarajanagar district administration has asked temple priests to recite mantras and perform rituals in Kannada to be more accessible to devotees.
A workshop will be held to train the priests of the district's 281 temples, who currently chant Sanskrit mantras, in Kannada invocations. Classified by the endowment department on the basis of the revenue they generate, two temples each fall in 'A' and 'B' categories while the remaining are under 'C'.

"Recently, I visited the Himavad Gopalaswamy temple in the district to offer prayers. I found it interesting that alongside Sanskrit, the priests were using Telugu and Tamil as well while performing puja," said deputy commissioner MR Ravi. "When I asked the priests why Kannada was missing, they said there is a lack of training and learning material," he said.
I held a meeting with temple priests on March 3 and they said they were ready to chant Kannada mantras provided they received training. So we are planning to hold a workshop where Kannada priests like Hiremagalur Kannan of Chikkamagaluru will train their counterparts here."
A notification issued on March 3 by the DC directed all endowmnent department officials, including executive officers of the temples, to use Kannada in puja rituals, including mantras, archane and sankalpa which are integral to any seva offering in a temple. He urged authorities to ensure that all traditions and temple practices were followed unchanged despite the change in language.
"Most devotees pray in Kannada in the temples. If the priest performs seva in the same language, devotees' familiarity with and regard for the worship will increase multifold. This is the idea behind the move to bring in Kannada in temple rituals," the DC said.
Devotees echoed the view, saying hearing Kannada chants will bring them closer to god. "Such initiatives will only make our religion, rituals and customs more meaningful. In other religions too, prayers are now done in Kannada to ensure that devotees understand what is being said and done. Such reforms should continue," said Prasad HP.
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