MANGALURU: While the government's plan to celebrate Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary has created a controversy in several parts of Karnataka, the Kollur Sri Mookambika Temple on the foothills of Western Ghats continues to perform a special puja in the name of the ' Tiger of Mysuru ' every day.

READ ALSO: Historians hit out at BJP for calling Tipu anti-national

It's believed that the temple has salam mangalarathi , also known as pradosha pooje as it is performed at 7.30pm, to commemorate Tipu Sultan 's visit to the temple. However, temple authorities say there is no documentary evidence for it.

Salam mangalarathi is nothing but a mangalarathi offered to the deity in the evenings, said TR Uma, executive officer of Kollur Sri Mookambika Temple. She told TOI that salam mangalarathi is an oral undocumented tradition followed at the temple.

"The tradition is being followed for several years. It is believed that the puja is performed to commemorate Tipu Sultan's visit to the temple. It is a tradition of offering respect to chief ministers, ministers or officials. When VIPs arrive, temple staff accord a welcome and lead them to the shrine holding a torch. A mangalarathi is offered to the deity in the presence of VIPs. At present, the tradition is followed when the executive officer visits the temple in the evenings," Uma said.

Historian Uday Barkur said the tradition of honouring kings or government representatives in temples is common. "Tipu Sultan had visited Shankaranarayana Temple, just 10 km from Kollur temple.

The ruler, who offered a bell to Shankaranarayana temple, might have visited this temple too. The ritual might have been followed to commemorate his visit to the temple. I plan to study how the tradition started," Barkur said.Tipu was not anti-Hindu: Poojary Former Union minister B Janardhan Poojary said Tipu Sultan was not an anti-Hindu ruler. "How can a ruler who offered pujas in temples be called anti-Hindu? How can we call a patriot an anti-national? People who oppose Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary celebration, should read history. Even Shah Rukh Khan was branded as an anti-national just because of his religion," Poojary said adding that there is nothing wrong in holding celebrations for Tipu Sultan's birth anniversary.

