Thursday, January 13 2005 22:12 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The Kanchi mutt today (Jan 13, 2005) wrote to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, conveying its concern that if both the Acharyas were to be in prison, 'there has been and would definitely be a serious, unfortunate and unacceptable' disruption to the poojas.

'There will be disruption to the poojas offered to deities like Maha Tripura Sundarari and Chandra Mouliswara for over 2500 years causing anguish and spiritual pain to tens of thousands of devotees', the Mutt said in its letter, a copy of which was released to sources in Chennai tonight (Jan 13, 2005).

Recalling Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa's reply letter to Dr Singh yesterday, the mutt said the reply given by her was 'not based on facts'.

"The poojas held by the appointed priest in the mutt for Lord Vinayaka, Adi Shankara etc, are entirely different from the pooja that can be offered by anointed Shankaracharya to Lord Chandra Mouliswara and Maha Tripura Sundari", it said adding that when the Acharyas travel, the 'vigraham' of the Lord Chandra Mouliswara was taken by the Acharyas with them and poojas performed thrice a day.

Seeking Prime Minister's immediate intervention in the matter, the mutt also drew his attention to Jayalalithaa's observations that even on several earlier occasions when the Acharyas had gone on pilgrimage, there were no breaks in the Poojas regularly performed, the mutt said the poojas regularly offered by the priests in the mutt were entirely different from that offered to Chandra Mouliswara which were performed only by the Peetathipathis.