Though the collapsing of outer roof of famous one of the six abodes of Lord Murugan’s Thiruchendur Temple, water entering into the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai and now the fire mishap in the same temple on February 2, and Vadaraneswarar Temple near Arakonam on February 7 are unrelated, the devotees observe them as bad omen for the rulers and feel that it could be a part of any sinister design. These incidents have also proved that the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR & CE) is unable to manage them properly.
On December 14, a woman vendor was crushed to death when the roof of the hall in Tiruchendur Subramania Swamy Temple crashed. The 2000-year-old temple, located in southern Tamil Nadu, is considered as one of the important pilgrimage places in the state and draws devotees throughout the year. It was patronaged by the Pandiya and Chera kings.
On October 5 last year, the four Chithirai streets surrounding the Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple went under a thick sheet of water, which also intruded into the temple precinct.
On February 2, fire that broke out near Meenakshi Amman Temple Museum in East tower severally damaged sculptures in the Veera Vasantha Rayar Mandapam. The cause of the mishap is yet to be ascertained. National Security Guard team inspected the temple premises and reviewed security measures being followed there. The Temple was brought under heavy security five years ago following a threat perception. Intelligence agencies advised the authorities not to allow shops inside the temple premises (most of them owned by non-Hindus).
A shopkeeper’s ritual to ward off evil (lighting camphor on a pumpkin and breaking the vegetable) might have led to the fire in the Madurai Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, said police sources who reviewed CCTV footage collected from the premises. Security experts fail to accept this theory.
The Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam after inspecting the damage caused to the structure, said a temple protection committee would be constituted to prevent such accidents in the temples. This committee will be responsible for all aspects of the safety and security of the temples. He said all efforts would be taken to ensure the safety of the people visiting the ancient temples, which are part of our heritage and culture.
“It will be a costly repair work. But there are professionals and experts in such work who can lend a helping hand to the government. Since the work involves the (famous) temple, even private parties could be interested in sponsoring,” said the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Madurai chapter convener Aravind Kumar Sankar.
Dating back to 1600s, the Vasantharaya Mandapam’s structure predominantly comprises large blocks of stone. The Mandapam, which sprawls over 7,000 square feet was gutted in the fire. According to temple authorities, the Mandapam’s pillars were in a corroded state. HR&CE department officials said due to pending case in Madras High Court they had not undertaken renovation work. Even the Pottramarai (Golden Lotus) tank renovation was stopped midway due to the case.
The Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench on February 6 expressed concern at the safety of the temples in the state in the wake of fire in Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple and sought a status report on fire safety measures in the temples across the state. A division bench of justices M Sathyanarayanan and R Tharani, while hearing a case filed by Abul Kalam Azad Sulthan of Kanyakumari suo motu impleaded the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Regional Director, state’s Tourism, Culture and Religious Endowments Department Principal Secretary as well as the Director General of Police of fire and rescue services in the case. They were directed to file reports on the steps taken to ensure the safety of people in the temples and installation of firefighting equipment there.
The petitioner had sought a direction to the Commissioner of HR and CE Department to stop converting ancient temples into commercial establishments. He also wanted the portion damaged in the fire accident at Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple to be restored and shops removed from the temple premises. Meanwhile, authorities have asked more than 115 shop owners to vacate their shops from the temple premises. Four days after the major fire destroyed a portion of the Meenakshi Amman Temple, the fire hit roof of the Pasupatheewarar Sanctorum inside the Veera Vasantharayaar Mandapam collapsed on January 6. It is now hoped that the CB-CID may be asked to probe the Madurai Temple fire.
Over 30,000 temples in the state are under the management of HR & CE. It is alleged that barring a few temples most of the temples go even without one day pooja for the deity. Demands to free these temples from the hold of HR & CS have been made on and off. There has been accusation against its officials for swindling temple funds. It is said HR and CE officials devote more resources to making money and leave the temple unfunded as a result several ancient temples are in a dilapidated condition. They are commercialising the temple premises and collecting money under various heads from the devotees, the devotees pointed out. *
