Mangaluru: Close on the heels of a rumour spreading like a wildfire that the ‘nandadeepa’ (oil lamp in the sanctum sanctorum) of the Dharmasthal Shri Manjunath Swami temple, Tirupathi temple and Shrishaila have turned off, signalling a bad omen, Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Dr D Veerendra Heggade cleared the air saying that no such incident has occurred at the Dharmasthala temple.
“Please do not pay heed to such rumours,” he said adding that the doors of the temple are closed at 8 pm and then opened at 5 am the next day.
“Who is the person who visited the temple during the intervening period and saw if the lamp is still burning?” the Dharmadhikari asked.
While urging the devotees to make sure that they are safe and follow all the guidelines laid down by the government to fight the Coronavirus, he specifically asked the devotees to offer prayers to God at home and not to even attempt visiting the temples by falling for such rumours.
He also urged the media not to publish any article pertaining to the Dharmasthala temple without first confirming with the management of the temple.
It is said that women in several districts across the state started lighting oil lamps at their doorsteps after the WhatsApp message about the oil lamps in these temples went viral.
