Udupi: A division bench of the High Court of Karnataka has rejected a plea seeking to stop the pontiff of Puthige Mutt, Sugunendra Theertharu, from performing pooja at the Udupi Sri Krishna Temple. The petitioner argued that the pontiff, having traveled to the USA in 1997, should be restrained fUdupi Templerom touching the idol of Lord Krishna and disqualified from conducting religious rituals due to the prohibition on pontiffs of the Ashta Mutts crossing oceans.
The High Court dismissed the petition, emphasizing that there is nothing wrong with spiritual quests that involve travel. The court cited historical examples, including Emperor Ashoka sending his children to Sri Lanka to propagate Buddhism and Shankaracharya traveling across India to popularize his philosophy. Referring to the poem ‘O Nanna Chetana’ by Rashtrakavi Kuvempu, the court expressed that the quest for spirituality often involves traveling.
Dismissing any role in the Swamiji’s travel abroad, the High Court stated that it found no merit in the petition. The Puthige Mutt pontiff is scheduled to take over the worship of the Krishna Temple on January 18, 2024, as per the ‘Paryaya’ rotation. The petition also claimed that Sugunendra Teertharu was not appointed by the Dhawandwa Mutt according to tradition.
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