Abhinava Charukeerthy Bhattaraka Swamy of Jain Mutt at Shravanabelagola in Channarayapatna taluk of Hassan district has expressed disappointment over the administration’s delay in shifting the meat stalls located close to the main roads leading to the mutt and Vindhyagiri at the popular Jain pilgrimage centre.

During an interaction with the media at Shravanabelagola on Monday, the seer said that many meat stalls had been functioning close to the village’s main roads.

The open display of meat in the stalls would hurt the sentiments of the Digambara monks who reach the village from distant places.

“This is the place known for Gomateshwara, who spread the message of non-violence. The Digambara monks follow tough rituals. If they see any slaughtered animal, they observe the fast for the whole day. Despite repeated appeals, the administration has not been able to shift the stalls away from the main streets around the village,” the seer said.

Ahimsa Kshetra

Earlier, the seer recalled that late Charukeethy Bhattaraka Swamy had emphasised the need for declaring Shravanabelagola a place of non-violence (Ahima Kshetra). However, it did not materialise. Following the mutt’s repeated appeals, Hassan’s Deputy Commissioner instructed the panchayats to shift the meat stalls to a designated place, away from the main streets.

“It has been more than four months since the deadline to shift the stalls was over. They continue to function where they stood earlier. The shopkeepers are not willing to shift, citing that they would lose business. The officers are also not showing enough interest in executing their orders,” he said.

Land

The mutt has been demanding the relocation of the mutton stalls since 2017, when the preparations for Mahamastakabhisheka, the grand anointment of Gomateshwara statue atop Vindhyagiri, were on. Following the request from the mutt, the taluk administration identified one acre and five guntas of land in survey number 331 to shift 12 meat stalls. However, there was no further procedure in this connection.

Following repeated appeals from the mutt, Shravanabelagola gram panchayat took the issue for discussion in its meeting on March 15, 2025. According to sources, among the members, a few were opposed to the idea of shifting the stalls. They did opine that people from all religions with varied food habits lived in the place and the diversity should be respected.

However, considering the directions of the taluk panchayat and the Deputy Commissioner, the panchayat resolved to shift the stalls after ensuring all basic amenities required for the shopkeepers at the identified land, which is still with the revenue department. The gram panchayat has written to the department seeking the grant of the said land for shifting the stalls. Meanwhile, shopkeepers argue that their stalls are already located quite far from the mutt and Vindhyagiri, where the monolithic statue is located.

“We were shifted to the outskirts of the village ahead of the Mahamastakabhisheka held in 2018. Again, asking us to go to some other location is not acceptable. We will lose our business. We respect the feelings of devotees and monks visiting the pilgrimage. We do not want to hurt their feelings,” said a shopkeeper, who wished not to be named.