'Made Snana' and 'Ede Snana' banned in Udupi temple

Mangaluru: In a decisive and bold move, the controversial age-old religious customs of 'Made Snana' and 'Ede Snana' of the Sree Krishna Temple in Udupi near here have been banned.

This was informed by Swami Vidyadheesha Theertha of the Paryaya Sri Palimar Mutt. A decision to this effect was taken in consultation with Swami Vishwesha Theertha, head of the Pejawar Mutt of Udupi.

'Made Snana' is a ritual in which low-caste Hindus roll on plantain leaves in which Brahmins had food, and 'Ede Snana' is a practice whereby the lower-caste Hindus roll over food offered to God.

The CPI(M) had taken out a march to the temple to protest against these repressive customs and the practice of maintaining different dining areas, on the basis of caste, while offering food (annadanam) to people. Many, including CPI(M) leader M A Baby who inaugurated the protest march, were arrested by the police.

The 'Made Snana' is held at the Subramanya Temple, which comes under the Sree Krishna Temple in Udupi. The 'Made Snana' was replaced with the 'Ede Snana' a few years ago following outcry from many quarters. Now, both the rituals have been banned putting an end to all controversies.

“The ban is not going to affect Hinduism in any way and these rituals are unnecessary. There is no need to stick with controversial customs and the most important thing was to perform poojas ,” said Swami Vishwesha Theertha.