Many temple priests suffer from varicose veins due to prolonged standing, and also develop lung-related problems due to their continued presence in the sanctum sanctorum, which is scantily ventilated, but over-exposed to camphor burning.
Some rarely consume water to avoid frequent urination (which requires bathing and changing clothes before entering the temple again), thus ending up with kidney stones.
Many ‘potu’ (temple kitchen) workers report breathing issues for inhaling ghee and oil vapours at high temperatures, and get skin rashes due to the hot environment.
A view of the devotees waiting for their turn to get their heads tonsured at the Kalyana Katta at Tirumala. | Photo Credit: File Photo
Similarly, barbers at the tonsuring centres are prone to contagious diseases due to their close proximity to devotees, which also exposes them to blood contamination due to cuts on the scalp.
While playing a crucial role in making the temple administration run hassle-free, these are the people who place their organisational goal above their personal health.
For the first time, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has put its best foot forward to find about complaints that are never raised, so as to address them on priority basis.
“These religious staff have not revealed their complaints to the management so far. Some consult doctors at the terminal stage, while many priests whom I have known passed away at a younger age,” says Bhumana Subramanyam Reddy, Director of TTD’s Sri Venkateswara Employees’ Training Academy (SVETA).
SVETA conducted an awareness session on May 29 for such employees, called “religious staff” in TTD parlance, to bring their complaints to light so that a comprehensive screening programme could be taken up.
Temple staff carrying huge vessels containing the sacred ‘prasadam’ at Tirumala. | Photo Credit: File Photo
Orthopaedic complaints
“The ‘paricharakas’ (assistants) who lift up and carry the huge bronze vessels containing sacred ‘prasadam’ on their shoulders develop orthopaedic complaints. Walking barefoot on the stone surface causes non-healing wounds, which may become complicated for the diabetics,” observed B. Janardhan Raju, retired professor of Community Medicine and Principal of S.V. Medical College, after interacting with them.
The use of right twigs for conducting ‘homam’ is also an essential requirement.
Twigs from ‘palasa’, ‘maddhi’, ‘modugu’, ‘kadhira’, ‘chandra’, etc. trees are prescribed in the Agama Shastra, but the temples in remote locations are mostly left to procure their own material.
“Burning non-recommended twigs not only harm the ‘homam’ performers, but also pollute the environment,” cautions P. Muralikrishna, retired Principal of TTD’s S.V. Ayurvedic College, who had addressed the staff in the past.
Interacting with The Hindu, several religious staff narrated that back-to-back duty shifts of eight hours each made their bio-rhythm go astray, due to which they suffer from sleeplessness, indigestion and allergy.
“A health diagnosis programme will be conducted soon in batches for all such employees,” Mr. Subramanyam Reddy said.
