After weeks of discussion, the existing temple administration was removed on June 20, and officials from HR&CE department were appointed to oversee temple affairs.
Karur: Dalit residents of Punjai Kadambankurichi entered and worshipped main deities of Arulmigu Sri Mariamman and Arulmigu Sellandiamman temples after several decades of discrimination by caste-Hindus culminating with the intervention of the district administration, here on Tuesday.
The issue of disallowing Dalits from worshipping at these temples came to light on May 19, while celebrating festivals.
Though the upper caste families in the village which has over 1000 families honour Dalits for their role in carrying out the rituals involving burial of a sacrificed ox, the latter were not allowed to enter the temple to worship the deities.
Temple Entry: TN Dalits Families Enter Karur Mariamman, Sellandiamman Temples As Govt Ends Decades Of Discrimination Through Talks
A group of Dalits who were prevented from entering the temples which are believed to have been built about 150 years ago submitted their complaints to District Collector, the District Superintendent of Police district and the state government, seeking redressal to the long-standing dispute.
The district administration led by Manmamangalam Tahsildar Kumaresan conducted proceedings with the members – including Murugesan and Kuppuswamy the key members – of the temple management committee and a series of peace talks involving both the communities.
Temple Entry: TN Dalits Families Enter Karur Mariamman, Sellandiamman Temples As Govt Ends Decades Of Discrimination Through Talks
After weeks of discussion, the existing temple administration was removed on June 20. Officials from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department were appointed to oversee temple affairs.
On the day of the worship, more than 100 police personnel were deployed to ensure peace and security.
Dalit devotees carried traditional Maavilakku (made of rice flour and jaggery) offerings into the temples and performed prayers inside the premises for the first time in generations.
Local resident Pon Muthukumar who acted on behalf of the members of the Scheduled caste community said they had historically been forced to worship from outside the temple and were denied even entry during festivals.
Muthukumar thanked Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for issuing directions in a separate petition filed before the Chief Minister’s Special Cell. He also credited the intervention of the district administration for ensuring that worship could take place peacefully.
Temple Entry: TN Dalits Families Enter Karur Mariamman, Sellandiamman Temples As Govt Ends Decades Of Discrimination Through Talks
“For generations we were denied to worship and now we express our gratitude to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,” he daid.
Welcoming the development, activists working against caste discrimination said the move marked an important departure from past approaches in similar disputes. They noted that, instead of restricting access to avoid tensions, authorities facilitated temple entry while maintaining law and order.
Muthu Selvan, Karur district secretary of Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front, said: “During the previous administration, in various parts of Tamil Nadu, temples were often locked and sealed – preventing worship – whenever members of the Scheduled Caste communities sought to enter and pray. Authorities frequently cited ‘law-and-order issues’ as the reason for these closures, despite existing court orders upholding the right to worship.”
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Aarayi, a 90-year-old-woman, said none of her relatives from her Schedule Caste community was allowed to enter the temple during any of the festivals. “It has become a custom here. Now, it is gone,” she said.
The development has been viewed as a milestone in the struggle against untouchability and casteism, with residents describing it as the restoration of a fundamental right that had been denied to their community for generations.
Courtesy : ETV Bharat
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