protests at Thiruvallikkeni against floor and shed at Sri Parthasarathi Swami Temple

Sri Parthasarathi Swami Thirukovil is one of the vey ancient temples and one among the 108 Divyadesams sung by Azhwars.  The antiquity of the temple is understood by the style of architecture as also the culverts dating back to Pallava kingdom.The temple is under the control of HR&CE Department and in the recent past there have been protests / agitations over the construction of sheds in the prakaram inside the Temple  before Sri Varadharajar sannadhi. The vast prakara which provides good quality air and light is what appeals most in Temples and presently this is what has become the ‘contentious issue’.

The authorities have placed black granite in the inner prakaram over the black stone, which has become to be more of a hindrance with devotees finding it too hot to step on and too slippery when it rains.  Not caring for the aesthetic design nor for the time-old traditions, the authorities have erected structure covering the place fully, which prevents the devotees from having darshan of the Sacred Vimana. There have been protests and signature campaign. A group of devotees have obtained signatures from more than 5000 individuals and have presented them to the Authorities, which has not provided any reaction.  A writ petition has been  filed before the High Court of Madras seeking to declare the Sri Parthasarathy Temple at Triplicane an ancient monument and to preserve its antiquity as per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act,1958.

On Sunday, 19th Aug 2012 a group of devotees numbering closer to 200  converged  under the auspices of Nanbargal Kuzhu, Srinivas Youngmens Association,  Triplicane Brahmins Welfare Association and Yadava Sabha  at 

‘Allathur Nathamunigal Ramanuja Koodam, Singarachari St.,

Triplicane, Chennai 600 005’ 

- to voice their concern and express their anguish over the constructions in the inner precincts of Sri Parthasarathi Swami Temple.   Speaker after speaker expressed their pain and anguish over the construction and the brazen attempts to violate long standing traditions.  

The tone of the meeting was set with the first speaker,  a retired Govt Official,  describing at length the beautiful  manner in which Thirumangai Azhwar had sung about the temple as having beautiful corridors and felt that this has noe become extinct.  Most of the speakers expressed their difficulty of walking on the floor when it was hot and the same becoming too slippery with some small amount of water.  The circulation of air becoming restricted, there is more difficult and they impressed upon the need for immediate removal of the shelter and the smooth stones. 

Another devotee questioned whether such construction activities have the approval from necessary authorities as even structural changes at home require permission.  There was general resentment in the manner the construction was rushed through without explaining to public, especially when petitions were being moved in Court.   Many queried why the administration and authorities try to change the structure which had stood over the time – the Pallava and other Kings had everything within their authority, yet they chose to construct the temple in a manner that went by tradition, which has been changed now. 

There were concerns as even century old buildings are treated as heritage buildings and no activity changing their structure is allowed in the garb of maintaining tradition, but the same is not being followed when it comes to a century dating back to more than 1200 years.

There was unanimity amongst those attended that the tradition of the temple must remain and that the presently constructed structres be removed, bringing back the earlier position of old blackstone and open sky.   It was resolved in the meeting that :

-       ** A forum titled ‘Sri Parthasarathi Swami Temple Protection Force’ be formed with participation from devotees, and local associations

-      **  Passing a resolution opposing the present construction and send the resolution in the form of a petition to authorities concerned including HR&CE, and the CM’s Cell

-      ** Organise peaceful protest and chanting of Vishnu Sahasranamam on 25th Aug 2012 in front of Temple and do a pradakshina around the temple, appealing to Lord Parthasarathi Himself to give good thinking and right advice.

-            **  A team of Office bearers for the ‘to-be formed’ new body was also suggested

Various newspapers have covered this and have been writing on this..Here is what the famous newspapers have to say on the protests of Triplicane devotees.  .

The Hindu dated 20.08.2012 – click here for Hindu article

- the photo of shed and temple – courtesy ‘The Hindu’ – 

photo by KV Srinivasan.

Devotees of one of Chennai’s oldest temples, the Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Temple, are up in arms against construction by the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department inside the temple prakara. The department laid new granite stones and built a shed. Residents have planned a series of protests including group-chanting of the Vishnu Sahasranamam.

They say that the shed was preventing them from having darshan of theAnandha vimanam (tower over the sanctum of Sri Parthasarathy Swamysannidhi), Vedavalli Thayar Vimanam and Varadhar Sannidhi Vimanam over the pradakshina course.

“Having darshan of vimanams is equivalent to having darshan of the presiding deity. Now if we want to have darshan of vimanams, we will have to go to one of the buildings on the mada veedhis and view them from a distance,” said a senior citizen.

He was speaking at a gathering of devotees, heritage enthusiasts and advocates, who met under the auspices of Srinivasa Young Men’s Association, Nanbargal Kuzhu, Triplicane Brahmins Welfare Association and Yadava Sabhai, among others, to think of an action plan to save the temple that has a recorded history of over 1200 years.

T.R. Ramesh, president, Temple Worshipers Society, and general secretary (legal affairs) of Janata Party, said the HR&CE had control only over the administration of temple properties and not the idols or jewellery.

“A few years ago, at Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, there was a move by the department to construct rest rooms, after the demolishing of a kottaaram in the temple premises was thwarted,” he said.

Advocate M. Vivekanandan said the department was not allowed to make any new innovations under the HR&CE Act. They can only preserve what is there. He said while more recent constructions including the Ripon Building, Fort St. George and Victoria Public Hall were being protected as monuments and every care was being taken in their maintenance and repairs, nothing has been done to preserve this temple, which has been in existence since time immemorial.

A senior priest, who retired from a temple in Thiruvarur, said that temple bhattacharyas and priests could not be expected to join the protests because if they did, they would be treated badly by the officials.

RTI activist V.S. Rajkumar said over 15,000 residents had signed a petition stating that the works must not be taken up. But the department had gone ahead and completed the construction.

Dinakaran of 20.08.2012 – Click here to read Dinakaran article

சென்னை : திருவல்லிக்கேணி பார்த்தசாரதி கோயில் பிரகாரத்தில் ஆரம்ப காலத்தில் பதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்த கருங்கற்களுக்கு பதிலாக புதிதாக கருப்பு கிரானைட் கற்கள் பதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. இதனால் பக்தர்கள் வெப்பம் தாங்க முடியாமல் பிரகாரத்தை சுற்றி வர மிகவும் சிரமப்படுகின்றனர். அதேபோல சிறிதளவு தண்ணீர் இருந்தாலும் வழுக்கி விழ வேண்டிய நிலை உள்ளது. இது தவிர பிரகாரத்திலிருந்து பார்த்தால் கோபுரம் தெரியாத அளவுக்கு மறைக்கும் வகையில் ஷெட் அமைக்கவும் முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டு பணிகள் நடந்து வருகின்றன. 

ஏற்கனவே கிழக்கு கோபுரத்தின் முன்பாக இரு பக்கமும் ஷெட் அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதனால் சிறிது தொலைவிலிருந்து பார்த்தாலும் கோபுரம் தெரியாத நிலை ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. தற்போது கோயிலின் உட்பக்கமும் ஷெட் அமைப்பதற்கு பக்தர்கள் எதிர்ப்பு தெரிவித்துள்ளனர். இவ்வாறு ஆகம விதிகளை மீறி நடக்கும் பணிகளை கண்டித்து பல்வேறு அமைப்புகள் சார்பில் ஆர்ப்பாட்டங்கள், கையெழுத்து இயக்கம், தெருமுனை பிரசாரம் நடத்தப்பட்டன. சில அமைப்புகள் கோர்ட்டிலும் முறையிட்டுள்ளன.

இந்நிலையில் கோயிலில் மேற்கொள்ளப்படும் பணிகளை நிறுத்தக்கோரி, கருத்து கேட்பு கூட்டம் திருவல்லிக்கேணியில் நேற்று நடந்தது. திருவல்லிக்கேணி குடியிருப்போர் நல சங்கங்கள், நண்பர்கள் குழு, ஸ்ரீனிவாஸ் இளைஞர்கள் நற்பணி சங்கம், திருவல்லிக்கேணி பிராமணர்கள் நல சங்கம், யாதவ சபை, இந்து முன்னணி மற்றும் இந்து அமைப்புகள் சார்பிலான பிரதிநிதிகளும் பொதுமக்களும் கலந்து கொண்டனர். கூட்டத்துக்கு  சம்பத்குமார் தலைமை வகித்தார். கூட்டத்தில், ஆகம விதி மீறி நடக்கும் பணிகளை நிறுத்த வலியுறுத்துவது, பார்த்தசாரதி கோயில் பாதுகாப்பு பேரவை என்ற அமைப்பை ஏற்படுத்தி, வரும் 25ம் தேதி கண்டன பேரணி நடத்துவது என தீர்மானம் நிறைவேற்றப்பட்டது.

Dinamalar of 21.08.2012