Hindu temple seeks permission to submerge statues in Dorset waters

A HINDU temple in Warwickshire has applied for permission to sink twelve marble statues into the sea off Dorset's Jurassic Coast as part of an ancient religious ceremony, reported the BBC.

The Shree Krishna Mandir in Leamington Spa wants to carry out a Murti Visarjan ritual in Weymouth Bay this September, which involves the ceremonial submersion of deity statues to represent the cycle of creation and dissolution in Hindu tradition.

The unusual request comes as the 30-year-old temple is being demolished and rebuilt, meaning the existing statues cannot be moved to the new building. Temple chairman Dharam Awesti explained that the statues must remain whole and undamaged to be suitable for worship.

"The murtis can't go into the new temple in case they get damaged, they have to be a whole figure," Awesti said. "Members of the public are sponsoring the cost of the new murtis but we are not sure of how much they will be because they are coming from India."

The ceremony would involve transporting the statues by lorry from Leamington Spa to Weymouth, where a crane would lift them onto a barge for the journey out to sea. Five of the twelve statues are human-sized and weigh 800kg each.

"Before the statues are lowered onto the seabed we will have a religious ceremony and bring our priest with us," Awesti explained. "Instead of dumping them anywhere, they have to be ceremoniously submerged into the sea safely so we can feel comfortable that we have done our religious bit by following all of the scriptures."

The temple chose Weymouth Bay because another Midlands temple had previously conducted the same ritual at the location. Awesti stressed the religious significance of water in Hindu beliefs.

"Life, in Hinduism, starts with water and ends in the water, even when people are cremated we celebrate with ashes in the water," he said.

The chairman added that the marble statues would not harm the marine environment or sea life. The statues, which are dressed in bright colours while in the temple, would be submerged in their original marble form.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is currently reviewing the application, which requires a marine licence for approval. A public consultation on the proposal runs until June 22, allowing local residents and stakeholders to voice their opinions.

"The marine licencing application for the submersion of Hindu idols in Weymouth Bay is still ongoing," an MMO spokesperson said. "Once this is completed, we will consider responses received from stakeholders and the public before making determination."