Why is Aadhaar card mandatory for entering in this Karnataka temple?

Bengaluru, Sep 18: Like many government schemes which require beneficiaries to link their Aadhaar card, this temple in Karnataka has made it mandatory to carry Aadhaar card in order to enter the premises. Yes you read it right!

Huliamma Temple, a small temple on the edge of Bandipur National Park gets regular visitors once in a week on Tuesdays and Fridays and on moonless days. However, it is not only by devotees even the villagers take a shortcut to reach the other side of the forest.

Speaking to a leading daily, the director of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, T Balachandra, said villagers who have to bid in the temple must produce photocopies of their Aadhaar card.

"We will accompany you to the temple. We will take the village elders. Villagers will be supervised by foresters, "he said.

This was made mandatory after a villager identified as Shivamadaiah from the village of Chowdahalli in Gundlupet Taluk was mauled to death by a tiger near the Huliamma temple at night. The area falls under the range of Gopalaswamy Betta forest.

Following this, the forest department has established restrictions to visit the temple. Villagers have been banned from using the route as a shortcut.

Villagers who visit the temple would offer non-vegetarian food to the female deity and some villagers also consume alcohol during the bidding and diverted to the forest.

The officer added that sheep, goats and chickens would be slaughtered and the remains thrown into the forest, attracting leopards and other wild animals. So we have restricted entry to the villagers after the incident, the officer said.

However, this isn't the first time, well a Pashupatinath temple located in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur has also made it mandatory to carry Aadhaar card to enjoy feast on the campus.