Karnataka govt to rename rituals started by Tipu Sultan

The Karnataka government on Saturday, through a circular, said it was going to change the names of rituals conducted in temples in the state such as 'Salam Aarti', 'Deevatige Salam' and 'Salam Mangalarathi'.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Saturday issued a circular changing the names of traditional rituals such as 'Saalam Aarti', 'Deevatige Saalam' and 'Saalam Mangalarathi', which are being performed in temples. The announcement was made by the Karnataka Dharmika Parishat, which comes under the Department of Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments, and announced by Minister Sasikala Jolle in a press statement. The issue has been discussed in the Karnataka Dharmika Parishat. A decision has been taken only to alter the names based on locally used words. 'Deevatige Salam', 'Salam Mangalarati' and 'Salam Aarti' were performed in the morning, afternoon and evening in the temples.

According to senior Agama Pandits of the Endowments Department, the minister said, instead of the word 'Deevatige Salam', the service will be changed to 'Deevatige Namaskar'. She further noted that 'Salaam Aarti' and 'Salam Mangalarati' will similarly be changed to 'Aarti Namaskar' and 'Mangalarati Namaskar'.

The ritual of 'Salam Aarti' was started under Tipu Sultan, ruler of the erstwhile Mysuru kingdom. The ritual continued in various Hindu temples even after Tipu died in a battle against the British. 'Salam Aarti' was in practice at prominent temples in the state, such as Chaluva Narayanaswamy temple in Melukote in Mandya district, Kukke Subrahmanya temple, Mookambika temple in Kollur and Mahalingeshwar temple in Puttur of Dakshina Kannada district.