JOIN USThe earthquake in Nepal has created anxiety in the families of Smartha Brahmins in the temple town, which shares historic ties with the Pashupathinath temple in Kathmandu.
The main priest and assistant priests - hailing from the region - who were working in the Pashupathinath temple were earlier feared to be dead.
However, main priest Raghavendra Bhat and his wife are safe, as they had already travelled to Mangaluru when tragedy struck. The other priests are Sriram Karanth, Girish Bhat, Ganesh Bhat and Narayana Bhat.
Ganesh Bhat hails from Udupi. The Smartha Brahmins from here always had a representation in the panel of the priestly group of the temple. The whereabouts of Ganesh Bhat and others are not known. Puttige Mutt seer Sugunendratheertha Swami, who has close links with Nepal and the erstwhile royal family, said he was not able to contact Ganesh Bhat and others.
The Brahmin priests from Udupi have been serving the Pashupathinath temple from as early as the 14th century. However, priests affiliated to the Sringeri mutt had also served there, the seer said.
The seer said the royal family of Nepal and the Udupi Mutt shared a special bond and the past king of Nepal, the late Beerendra, along with his wife Aishwarya, had visited the Mutt back in 1991.
However, Raghavendra Bhat told Deccan Herald that he had spoken to his colleagues in the temple over the phone and they were all safe.
“The temple is also safe. They said there is no need to worry, as they are safely sheltered in the temple,” Bhat said, quoting the other priests.
Meanwhile, a doctor from Kasargod, who had visited Kathmandu with his two friends, has reportedly gone missing after the quake. Dr Irshad, son of A N Shamshuddin, had obtained a seat for the MD course in Assam.
After the admission formalities, Irshad and his friends had left for Nepal on Friday.