Annavaram is a famous shrine in AP..not only from Telugu states to visit Lord Ramasatyanaraya Swamy here..devotees come from all over the country...but the name given to most weddings is Annavaram Satyanarayana Swamy Temple..When the wedding season has come, couples flock to Annavaram Satyanarayana Swamy Temple..Annavaram There are cases where marriages are held in the marriage hall on the hill or in the six outer courtyards.
After such marriages were arranged, a new dispute arose between the priests in the Annavaram Devasthanam. A war is waged between non-local local priests. The temple EO and Board of Trustees have decided to conduct marriages of priests through auction.
Generally, the priests were divided into two groups on the basis of fees collected for marriages and upanayanas. The Board of Trustees has decided to award the contract to those who have invested the highest amount in the Sri Annavaram Satyanarayana Swamy Devasthanam, which has a lot of history. However, due to this method of charging 5000 for marriage in the name of tender, poor people will suffer a lot. Brahmashree Nagabhatla Ravi Sharma, spokesperson of Andhra Pradesh Purohita State Brahmin Samaikya, is questioning what is the purpose of buying real priests through auction method. As usual, all the priests should be treated equally, he said, taking the priests by auction is ridiculous.
Annavaram priests say that there are more than 400 local priests in Annavaram and they welcome the method of taking priests for marriages and upanayanas through auction. At present, through the system of taking priests through tender method, the hill brokers are happy that not only the burden will be reduced but also the first priority will be given to the local priests. Devotees are still facing severe difficulties as there are more priests outside on Annavaram Hill. Annavaram local priests say that it is good to take this decision for the benefit of the devotees through the single window system of the temple evo trustee board.
Ramana Raju of Doosarlapudi said that it is a very bad act for Brahmins to fix the prices and hold tenders for weddings on Annavaram hill as they like.
But if a wedding is to be held on Annavaram hill, it is a very complicated task, along with food, mandapams, accommodation for the bridegroom and the bride, some arrangements have to be made if there is no proper price decision regarding the weddings. Brokers coming in between and charging 10,000 to 20,000 for a wedding has become a routine. Moreover, like Sade Meela in Sandit, even minors get married on the hill. Legally, the temple authorities have to face cases in many cases. Keeping all this in mind, the temple evo has decided to give all the proceeds from the auction to the priests. While some oppose this auction, others welcome it.
However, there are conflicting opinions on the priestly tender procedure taken by the Board of Trustees of the Ala Evo Temple at Annavaram, a popular shrine. If one is saying that it will be good for the temple, the other group wants to treat all the priests equally, which is not the right way. Let's see how the higher authorities react to this.