AP Govt issues notification banning other religion propagation

Hyderabad, June 8 (UNI) In an effort to remove misapprehensions among members of the majority community about propagation of other religions in Tirumala and other sacred temples in Andhra Pradesh, the State Government has issued a notification prohibiting propagation of religion other than the religion traditionally practised at such places.

Explaining the signifcance of the notification to reporters here today, Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy said that while every citizen had the right to profess and practise the religion of his choice as per the Constitution, restrictions had to be put in place if the activity of any individual or group adversely affected public order.

The Government, by the notification released to the Press today, also brought under section 2(2) of the Andhra Pradesh Propagation of Other Religion in Places of Worship or Prayer (Prohibition) Ordinance the sacred Tirumala 'Divyashetram', which had unique unbroken tradition of worship for nearly 2,000 years.

The notification clearly defined the Tirumala 'Divyashetram', comprising seven sacred hills and ten sacred ''theerthams'', and prohibited other religion propagation in these areas.

Other major temples brought under the purview of the ordinance promulgated last month were the Varasiddhi Vinayaka temple in Kanipakkam, the Durgamaleswara Swamy temple, Vijayawada, Venkateswara Swamy temple in Dwaraka Tirumala in West Godavari district, the Kalahasteeswara Swamy temple, Srikalahasthi, Bhramaramba Mallikarjunaswamy temple, Srisailam, Varaha Laxmi Narasimha Swamy temple, Simhachalam, and Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy temple.

UNI