Dattatreya Shrine, both Temple and Mosque

[Guest guest]

Dattatreya Shrine, both Temple

and Mosque

(by Staff Reporter for Hinduism Today)

CHIKMAGALUR, (KARNATAKA),JANUARY 7: The Dattatreya

temple here is under the possession of Muslims

for many years. It functions like a mosque,

except on the Hindu holiday of Dattatreya

Jayanti in December, when Hindus come to pay

homage to the original God of the temple.

Hindus come on others days as well, even

though the Muslim rituals are going on.

Now there has been a move by the Vishwa

Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal to post a

Hindu priest there and to recover the actual

icon of Lord Dattatreya which is said to be in

a cave inside the shrine. The three-day

"Datta Jayanti" celebrations which concluded

at the Dattatreya Peeta had more than 15,000

persons come in from all over the State to

pay homage at the hilltop shrine.