Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao seems to have been caught in a controversy involving two gods – Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.
According to sources, discontent is brewing among Shaivites (staunch followers of Lord Shiva) over the prominence being given by KCR to Vishnavaite temples ever since he came to power.
The Shaivites are said to be of the view that people of Telangana predominantly worship Lord Shiva. There are a large number of Shiva temples in Telangana than in Andhra Pradesh; this is basically because the Kakatiyas who ruled this region had propagated Veera Shaiva sect. Though there are Vaishnava temples here and there, the worshippers are less.
It was only after people from Seemandhra started coming to Telangana after 1956, the Vaishnavism got prominence, they argue.
However, the TRS president has been promoting Vaishnava temples since he came to power. He declared that Yadagirigutta, a Vaishnava temple, be developed on the lines of Tirupati and even released Rs 100 crore for its development. Similarly, he announced development of Bhadrachalam as a “Divya Kshetram” and showered several sops. And he cancelled his visit to Kaleshwaram on Sunday, much to the disgruntlement of Shaivites.
They are also not happy with the way KCR has been pampering Vaishnavaite seer Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamy and has not been entertaining any Shaiva seer.
This has led to unrest among the Shaivites, say sources. Indications are that though the controversy is still dormant, it might erupt into an open confrontation in the coming days.
