Ramakrishna Mission launches ‘Visarjane’ campaign in Mangaluru to collect, dispose of old religious material

Ramakrishna Mission's 'Visarjane' campaign in Mangaluru offers respectful disposal of old religious materials at six collection sites.

People looking to dispose of old photographs of deities, broken idols, and other religious material can now put them in “hundis” (collection boxes) placed by Ramakrishna Mission, Mangaluru, at six locations in the city, through the mission’s ‘Visarjane’ campaign, launched on Monday.

Launching the campaign at Ramakrishna Mutt here, the head of the mutt, Swami Jitakamananda, said that the collection boxes have been placed at Mangaladevi Temple, Kadri Manjunatha Temple, Bharat Mall in Bejai, Fiza by Nexus Mall in Pandeshwar, City Centre Mall, M.G. Road, and Govindadasa College at Surathkal.

He said that the campaign, operational till March 26, is meant for the collection and safe disposal of religious waste, including calendars of deities.

“During the mission’s Swacch Mangaluru Abhiyan in the Kadri temple area, it was observed that old photographs of deities, broken idols, and other religious materials were discarded in public places. This highlighted the need for a systematic and respectful method for the disposal of such sacred materials,” he said.

Swami Jitakamananda said the materials collected will undergo ‘Udvasana’ Puja at the Kadri Manjunatha Temple and later will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly and respectful manner through recycling and other appropriate methods.

He said glass from frames, metal, and wood will be segregated. Recyclable materials will be recycled, and those that can not be recycled will be co-processed at cement factories.