Status report on Vyasaraja Matha

STATUS REPORT ON THE LEGAL MATTERS

Published by Admin on Thu, 03/07/2013 - 18:00

1. The devotees of the Mutt were expressing their concerns over financial irregulaties and mismanagement of properties and illegal alienation. In the year 1991, Sri.B.R.G.K.Achar had filed a writ petition in the High Court of Karnataka praying for an enquiry. Pursuant to court order enquiry was conducted by a Committee headed by Endowment Commissioner which submitted a report dated 03.09.2011. Out of 11 allegations 9 were held proved. Major irregularities are as follows:
a. Choultry at Tirumala was leased by collecting Rs. 1.27 Cores.
b. House in Govindarajapuram leased for Rs. 15 Lakhs
c. Illegal transactions with regard to 559 acres of land in Pattemvenlapalli of Chittor District of Andhra Pradesh
d. Property in Srirangam leased out
e. 79000 Sq. Ft Land in Madurai sold.
f. Tirumala property was again offered at Rs. 2.60 Crores. Advacne amount of Rs. 35 lakhs collected. Cheques issues and bounced. Swamiji was arrested in criminal case. Penalty of Rs. 35 lakhs paid.
g. Mysore choultry mortgaged for Rs. 25 lakh and money deposited in Swamiji’s account
2. The State Govt after examining the case, appointed Shri. K. Jairaj Addl. Chief Secretary as Administrator on 26.05.2012.

3. The jewellery of Mutt were recorded in an inventory conducted by a Court Commissioner appointed by City Civil Court Bangalore in the year 2006 in a suit filed by Vyasaraja Seva Samiti.

4. The administrator got another inventory done in 2012. 17 invaluable antique jewels worth crores of rupees are missing.

5. Swamiji has challenged appointment of Administrator in the High Court. One Sosale Prakash has also challenged the same order.

6. Both writ petition have been dismissed by order dated 02.01.2013. Swamiji and Sosale Prakash have challenged the said orders in writ appeals. The division bench has not granted any interim relief to them.

This is the matter that has been in public domain, It was published in the Tatwa Chandrika magazine and also on the net by the Administrator of the Matha, Sri K, Jairaj.  

The Kumbh of Karnataka

An earlier post has dealt with the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. The Mela is the biggest gathering of people in the world and even students from Harvard were in Allahabad to study the phenomenon.

But what many do not know do not know is that Karnataka too has its own Kumbh Mela and it is considered to be as holy and as religiously significant as the Allahabad and Nasik Kumbhs.

The only difference is that while the Allahabad and Nasik Kumbas are well-known, the only Kumbh in south India is relatively unknown. And of course, the visitors to the Karnataka Kumbh are miniscule compared to the billions who come to the Kumbh in north India.

Everyday we have seen images in the media about religious heads and politicians heading to Allahabad for the ritual bath during Kumbh in the Triveni Sangama-the confluence of three rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswathi.

But it is really unfortunate that the Kumbh that was held in Karnataka barely received a mention either in the media or among the people. There were no continuous television coverage or continuous articles about our Kumbh though it is no less holy.

This is the only Kumbh not only in Karnataka but the whole of south India. The Kumbh here is held every three years and it is organised in T. Narsipura or Tirumukudlu.

T. Narsipura is a pilgrim town with several ancient temples and it is located on the banks of three rivers. The Cauvery, Kapila and Spatika flow here and their confluence is called Sangama.

Hundreds of devotes flocked to the bathing ghat at T Narsipura and participated in the Kumbh that was organised in February 2013.

Unlike the Kumbhs in north India, the event in Karnataka is of recent origin. The first Kumbh was organsied in 1989 and since then it has been held regularly every three years.   

The Narsipura Kumbh was spread over a week, while the Allahabad Kumbh goes on for 55 days. Saturdays and Sundays saw devotes by the thousands flocking to T Narsipur.

This was the ninth Kumbh held here and there were no Naga sadhus to take a holy dip. However, a number of Shaivite mathas and sadhus were in attendance to participate.  

This year, the Kumbh was inaugurated by Nirmalanandanatha, the 72nd Seer of Adichunchanagiri Mahasamsthana in Mandya district.

Almost all the devotees offered argya to the Sun God. The organisers had set up a temporary bridge to connect the small island with the mainland. However, this bridge was not made of pontoons but of three layers of sand bags.  

The three temples of Agasthyeshwara, Bhiksheshwara and Gunja Narasimhaswamy was crowded with devotees.Temporary shelters for religious leaders and seers to reside in were set up in the vicinity of Agastheshwara and Gunjanarasimhaswamy temples

This pilgrim centre was a beehive of activity and the district administration had engaged workers to construct makeshift steps, removing algae, install temporary wash basins, drinking water taps and rest rooms for devotees.

The Kumbh here too tested the district administration to the full. The administration had made arrangements for continuous supply of water and power. Swimmers and lifeguards had been stationed nearby to ensure that nobody drowned.  

Temporary bus stations manned by NCC cadets were operated and there were bus services to several towns and cities, including Mysore, Mandya, Sriraggapatna, Malavalli and even Bangalore.
T. Narsipura is in Mysore district and its history dates back to the Skanda Purana.  
The alphabet T stands for Trimakuta Kshetra or Tirumakudlu and Narsipura comes from the Gunja Narasimha temple, that is a landmark in the town.

T. Narsipura is considered to be as sacred and as holy a Prayag or Allahabad. Hence, it is also called as Dakshina Kashi. According to a local legend, Agastya, himself consecrated the Shiva Linga here.This is called the Agastyeshwara Linga.   

There is another Linga which is believed to be the one brought by Hanuman here from Kashi. Agastya had asked Hanuman to bring the Linga. This is called the Hanuman Linga.

The other lingas are the Someshwara Linga, Markendeshwara Linga and the Gargeshwari Linga. The first two lingas are in T. Narsipura and the third is a little distance away in Gargeshwari village.

There is also an interesting legend associated with Gunja Narasimhaswamy Temple. It is said that Narasimha appeared in the dream of a washerman telling him that his idol lay beneath the stone on which he washed clothes everyday. The deity told him to build a temple for him and asked him to look for gold coins beneath the stone which could be used for the construction of the temple.

When the washerman wished to see the Linga at Kashi, Shiva told him that he had earned punya of about a coral beed vine seed or Gunja. Thus, the temple got the name of Gunja Narasimhaswamy.

T. Narsipura is easily accessible by road and nearby places of interest are Sosale, where Vyasa Raja consecrated a Hanuman and built a Vyasaraja matha, Somanathapur which has a Hoysala temple, Talakad with its temples buried under sand and Shivanasamudra with its magnificent falls.  

Action taken report of Vyasaraja Matha

This is a email communication by Mr. K. Jairaj, Administrator of the Sri Sosale Vyasaraja Matha. He has been appointed by the State Government to streamline the administration of the matha. He has  taken several steps in this direction. This is an action taken report. It has been reproduced verbatim, and with no changes.

ACTION TAKEN REPORT BY THE ADMINISTRATOR

1.00 The Government of Karnataka has appointed Sri. K. Jairaj, IAS, Addl. Chief Secretary, as Administrator of Sri Vyasaraja Mutt (Sosale) on 26th May 2012. After retirement, Sri. Jairaj continued to be the Administrator of the Mutt. Consequent upon taking over the charge by the Administrator, several measures have been initiated to stem rot in the institution and to invigorate measures relating to probity in official practices, accounting Mutt resources, streamlining administration & protecting Mutt properties.
2.00 The Administrator has appointed a core group of four retired individuals with an extensive service in the Government/Public Sector to assist him in his duties. These officials are in place.
3.00 The main changes in the past six months (May 2012 to November 2012) are indicated below:
A) Finance & Accounts
• When charge of the Mutt was taken over on 26th May 2012, it was astonished to note that there was no effective system of accounting or maintenance of Bank balances by the Swamiji.
• Donations received by the Mutt & offerings made by the devotees and put into boxes (Hundies) were appropriated by private individuals with no accounts there on.
• The Administrator instituted a system of proper accounting and documentation from scratch. The services of a reputed Chartered Accountant were hired and daily accounts were started, including computerization of Accounts by installing Tally package.
• Separate Bank accounts were opened in which seva receipts, rentals and others were deposited.
• Opening of the hundies (Hundi boxes where devotees offer their money in cash) was under proper supervision and with mahzars every month. The amount collected were deposited in Bank accounts.
• Strict control of expenditure was initiated and carefully monitored.
• Regular income and expenditure statement have been drawn up each month and pasted in the office board of the Mutt for public information.
• As a result of the official streamlining which has taken place, the income of the Mutt as on October 31st 2012 was Rs. 70,65,362/- There has been a surplus of Rs. 36,83,273/- as per balance sheet prepared as on 31st October 2012 [enclosed].
• The Administrator has initiated a system of comprehensive audit by a qualified Chartered Accountant. The audit for the period from 26th May 2012 to 31st August 2012 has been presented before the Advisory Committee meeting held on 5.11.2012.

B) PERSONNEL AND STAFF
• At the time of take over, there was no acquaintance roll of the employees in the Mutt. Monthly payments were made either by cash or by deferred payments without maintaining any acquaintance roll.
• The Administrator made a thorough and comprehensive appraisal of the staff requirement and responsibilities. Following this, the pay of the staff was increased by an average of 35% over present wage with effect from 1.9.2012. The monthly outgo of staff salary for 55 employees is Rs. 1.68 lakhs.
• The staff salaries are currently being paid only through cheques.
• Some changes in staff have been initiated bearing in mind the requirement and efficiencies In administration. In coming months, measures including medical insurance will be instituted.
C) PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
• The Mutt did not possess an effective system of inventory in relation to immovable properties. The Government order on 26th May 2012 indicates several cases of sale, lease and wrongful alienation of properties of the Mutt in different places in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
• Immediately on taking over Mutt properties at Tirumala (Tirupathi) consisting of Brindavanam and a choultry had been taken over. These properties were wrongfully alienated by the Swamiji as per report of the TTD Chief Vigilance Officer. On take over, this property has begun to yield an average daily return of Rs.11,000/-
• Steps have been initiated to take back the possession of other properties wrongfully alienated in Karnataka , Tamil Nadu & Andhra Pradesh.
• Valuable properties of the Mutt in the form of shops & establishments have been leased at an extremely low rent and with no documentation at Gandhi Bazaar, Chickpet in Bangalore and in Mandya District & at Udup. Systematic documentation of each of these locations has been started.
• The Administrator and staff after discussions with the tenants of the premises in Gandhi Bazaar have increased rent by 30% with consent of the tenants and this will fetch an addition of about Rs. 16,160/- .per month along with the existing rents of Rs. 22,530/- being received.
• The Advisory Committee has approved permanent civil repairs of the Mutt building at Benne Govindappa Street, Mysore, Sosale and Mysore, which will be initiated shortly. These repairs likely to cost Rs. 10,28,632/- will be executed under the supervision of Captain Sri. Raja Rao, former Secretary to Government of Karnataka, Water Resources and a devotee of the institution.

D) ADMINISTRATION
• To guide the Administrator in the Management of the Mutt affairs, the Govt. of Karnataka in its order dt.26.5.2012 has constituted an Advisory Committee of eminent personalites consisting of Justice Sri M.N.Venkatachalaiah, former Chief Justice of India, Hon’ble Justice S.R. Venkatesha Murthy, former Judge to the Karnataka High Court, Sri Sheshachandrika, eminent Journalist and recipient of Rajyotsava award in 2012 and other individuals. The Advisory Committee met on four occasions namely on 26.6.2012, 26.7.2012, 22.8.2012 and 5.11.2012 and deliberated all policy issues concerning the Mutt including staff, properties, rentals and related matters.
• The Administrative changes have been initiated to tone up administration in branches at Benne Govindappa Street, Chickpet, Tirumala and T.Narasipura respectively.
• The Administrator with the help of several individuals started “Tatva Chandrika”, official magazine of the Mutt, which was discontinued for some time now.
• An official website of the Mutt namely www.srivyasarajamathasosale.org inaugurated by Smt. Sudha Murthy, Chair Person, Infosys. The website is a forum to communicate with all the devotees about the activities of the Mutt.
E) GENERAL
• Comparing to the hopeless position which existed in the Mutt on 26.5.2012 namely, the lack of official discipline in management of properties, absence of proper financial management & upkeep of accounts & the indiscipline work force, the Vyasaraja Mutt (Sosale) now is gradually limping back to normalcy. There is all-round accountability and discipline in its work, needs of the devotees are being met and religious practices in the institution are being carried out scrupulously and as per religious tenets.
• The Administrator expects that the official surplus of the institution will reach atleast Rs. 50,00,000/- (5 millions) before the end of March 2013.

The present status of Sosale Vyasaraja Matha

This is an article on the present status of the Vyasaraja Matha, which is one of the oldest Madhwa mathas.

The Vyasaraja Matha has a long and hoary history. The founder of this math is Rajendra Theertha.

There is an interesting story behind the establishment of this matha. The presiding seer of the Madhwa Matha, Vidhadhiraja Theertha, had appointed Rajendra Theertha as his successor.  (Vidyadhiraja was the successor of Jaya Theertha or Teekacharya).

However, when the time to hand over the reigns of the Matha came, Rajendta Theertha was away on Sanchara. Rajendra Theertha’s brother Kavindra Theertha was given the pontificate. Rajendra Theertha then came down south to Kumbakonam and subsequently founded a Sri Matha which came to be known as Vyasaraja Matha. After Rajendra Theertha, came Jayadwaja Theertha, Puroshatama Theertha, Bramanye Theertha and then Vyasa Theertha or Vyasa Raja.

The contribution of  Vyasa Raja to Madhwa literature, philosophy and religion was so immense and he was such a towering personality that the matha came to be named after him. Several decades later,  the matha divided and the new entity came to be known as Kundapur Vyasaraja Matha or Abbur matha. The original matha called itself Sosale Matha. While Abbur is near Chennapatna, Sosale is near T. Narsipur near Mysore.

A few years ago, several devotees of the Sosale matha and even a samithi began leveling allegations of mismanagement against the management of the matha. The State Government took over the administration of the Matha and appointed former BBMP Commissioner and former Additional Chief Secretary K. Jairaj as an administrator.

I can personally vouch for the fact that one of the last acts of V.S, Acharya as a Minister before he succumbed to a heart attack was signing on a file approving the take over of the matha.

After the Matha was taken over, Mr. Jairaj and his team have started operating from the premises of the Vyasraja Matha in Basavanagudi.

I have met Mr. Jairaj and his team several times and they tell me that they are only in charge if the administrative aspect and that they do not interfere with the religious affairs of the Matha.

They told me that  they  had started and almost completed the enumeration of movable and  immovable properties of the matha. They said the services of the staff of  the matha have been regularized and salary is being paid on time. A magazine, Tatwa Chandrika, has been launched. The matha is also officially on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SriVyasarajaMatha and another personal profile at http://www.facebook.com/PrathyarthiGajaKesari

The income and expenditure of the matha is being regulated and all expenses are being accounted for.

Mr. Jairaj said that the Vyasaraja Matha on Tirumala hills and  the Payonidhi Auditorium in Mysore are under the administration of   his team. There are  plans to make it convenient for devotees of the Matha to avail the facilities at Tirumala  and  Mysore. .

He said he and his team members had  meetings with managers of all branches of the matha and asked them to keep in mind the interest of the devotees.

The matha’s web has been redesigned and the latest developments, including  details of  the team’s work, is  being posted and tweeted.

(This article is only to give details about the matha and It is not intended in any manner to support or canvass for or againat any person or party. I visit the Vyasaraja matha almost every day and I am familiar with its history and tradition. )