Vemulawad(Karimnagar): The ‘Kode Mokkulu’ (a ritual in which devotees offer oxen to the lord) has been proving to be a major source of income to the Sri Rajarajeswara Swamy temple in Vemulawada.
According to the temple authorities, the abode of Lord Rajarajeswara Swamy earned Rs 23.62 crore through Kode Mokkulu in the past three years.
Devout offer one ox each to Rajarajeswara Swamy, an incarnation of Lord Siva, to express their gratitude to him for fulfilling their desires. Farmers also offer ‘kode mokkulu’ if they have a bumper yield in a particular season. Ox is offered to the Lord as it is the vehicle of Lord Siva, according to Hindu mythology.
Devotees who want to offer the ox can purchase tickets priced at either Rs 100 (for normal darshan) or Rs 216 (for Seeghra darshan) and then perform the ritual.
A laddu is given as prasadam for those offering ‘kode mokku’.
The temple registered an income of Rs 8.45 crore in 2011-12, Rs 5.98 crore in 2012-13 and Rs 9.19 crore the next year through sale of tickets for Kode Mokku ritual.
Put together, the revenue earned through ‘kode mokkulu’ accounted to Rs 23.59 crore against the temple’s overall income of Rs 166.30 crore in the last three years.
In addition, around 200 oxen are offered by the farming community every month. A few of them are used for the ritual.
The remaining oxen are donated to Gosamarakshana Fede-ration, a Warangal-based voluntary organisation, which, in turn, distributes it to the poor farmers free of cost.
A total of 2,500 oxen were given to farmers in the district by the voluntary organisation in the last two years.
“As the ritual involves considerably low expense than any others followed in the temple, Kode Mokku is a major source of income. It is a very old practice being followed in the temple. A sum of '1.5 crore has been spent for taking care of the oxen offered to the Lord, which are given shelter at two places in the temple town of Vemulawada,” said temple EO Ch. V. Krishnaji Rao.
