Water woes, fee hikes and poor amenities plague Chamundi Hill residents and devotees

By Shyam Sundar Vattam

Mysuru

The Chamundi Hills, the abode of Goddess Chamundeshwari—the presiding deity of the erstwhile Mysuru Kingdom—is facing an acute water crisis, with water being supplied only twice a week.

It may sound unbelievable, but it's the harsh reality. The goddess who is believed to protect the city of Mysuru is now unable to ensure basic drinking water supply to the residents living on the hill. If this is the plight of the hill dwellers, the situation for the thousands of devotees visiting the hill daily is far worse.

A pipeline meant to supply water to the hilltop remains incomplete, worsening the situation for both residents and visitors. The lack of basic infrastructure has become glaring. There is no provision for free drinking water for the devotees. Pilgrims who wish to bathe before entering the sanctum sanctorum have no access to a proper bathing facility.

Visitors are charged Rs 5 per person to use urinals and Rs 10 per person for lavatories, which are poorly maintained due to the ongoing water shortage. With lakhs of devotees expected to visit the temple during the upcoming Ashada season, the state government must act immediately to put essential facilities in place.

Amid all this, the temple authorities have increased the fee for Abhisheka from Rs 300 to Rs 500 on normal days. On Monday, members of the Karnataka Sena Pade, led by District President Tejesh Lokeshgowda, staged a protest in front of the old Deputy Commissioner's office demanding that the government provide basic amenities to the hill residents.

They alleged that in its attempt to mobilize funds for implementing the “five guarantees,” the state government has started exploiting even the temples by extracting money from the public.

Tejesh also criticized the district administration for hiking the special darshan fee to Rs 2000 per person during Ashada Maasa, under the pretext of providing air-conditioned bus travel and expedited entry. “This amount is exorbitant for common people and must be reduced forthwith,” he demanded.

The protestors later submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, addressed to the Chief Minister.