Dalits entered the Basaveshwara temple in Karnataka's Bellary district on Sunday, reported The Hindu. Though members of the upper castes stayed away from the historic event, 30 members of the persecuted community offered prayers at the temple that has had long barred them from entering its premises.
Dalits of Sigaranahalli in Holenarsipur taluk, which is near the temple, have been demanding fair treatment from the temple authorities for the past few months. On April 3, district officials arranged for some members of the community to offer prayers outside the locked doors of the temple, after violence broke out when a group of Dalits were stopped from entering it the previous day. Community leaders had described the incident as "adding insult to injury".
On Saturday, the district administration finally took control of the temple, including all the valuables, and notified people that the temple will be open to all between 8 am and 10 am and between 5 pm and 6 pm every day. “We have conveyed the arrangements made for temple visits to the villagers. As of now there is no priest; the devotees have to just go there and offer prayers. The process of handing over the temple to the Muzrai Department will be taken up soon,” Somanna, deputy tahsildar of Halekote hobli, said.
Dalits had entered the temple last year with the help of the district administration after a lot of protests when four women from the community were fined for stepping inside. Following the incident, the temple was shut till after “purification” rituals on March 25.
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