S
Shruti Dasgupta
Guest
Recent distressing news of the willful misbehavior of a government official and religious intolerance of DMK is making the rounds in the media. In Tamil Nadu’s Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram, a Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department’s woman official and police stormed into the Kanakasabai (golden platform) during the Aani Thirumanjanam festival.
She knowingly disturbed the rituals and prayers. Her act of barging onto the platform resulted in a scuffle with the custodian priests, the Deekshitars. The official and her accompanying police tore the clothes off priests and broke their Janeu. However, this was not enough to satisfy the DMK government and its supporters. Now, they have lodged charges against 11 Deekshitars for obstructing the official from completing her duty.
PC TN Temple Project
Legend claims that Rishi Patanjali brought the Deekshitars down with him from Kailash to perform the daily prayers and rituals at the Nataraja Temple. The Sage and the Deekshitars came to worship Lord Shiva when he began the at the temple when he began the great cosmic dance of Tandava.
The Deekshitars are Shiva devotees that follow the Vedic rituals. Another name for them is Thillai Vaazh Andhanar; which means Brahmins living in Thillai or Chidambaram. They are a community of hereditary priests called the Muvariyavar or the 3000 of Tillai. Currently, their numbers have been reduced to 360.
PC India.com
The Nataraja temple at Chidambaram symbolizes the divine connection between art and spirituality. The 108 karanas of the Tandava, depicted in the Natya Shastra, are creatively carved into temple walls. The temple holds a traditional Aani Thirumanjanam festival every year. A rath yatra brings the idol of Lord Shiva outside the sanctum.
During the festival, thousands of devotees throng together for darshan. To manage the large crowd, devotees are not allowed to enter the Kanakasabai during the last 3-4 days of the ritual. However, the temple premises remain open to the public.
All true devotees of Lord Nataraja know the rituals of the Aani Thirumanjanam festival. The DMK supporters and the Arya-Dravid divide proponents portray the closure of Kanakasabai as a discriminatory practice. They have repeatedly tried to create problems for the Deekshitars under the pretext of the SC/ST Act. Due to undue complications in the last few years, this year Deekshitars placed an announcement on the temple gate on the inaccessibility of the Kanaksabai from 24-27 June after getting Cuddalore Joint Commissioner’s permission.
The HR & CE official tried to remove the announcement on the 24th of June. The temple priests successfully thwarted her by showing the permission of the Joint Commissioner. However, the HR & CE official came back on the 27th of June with a vengeance. She brought policemen with her and took off the announcement. Furthermore, they forcibly entered the Kanakasabai during the sacred rituals. They harassed and insulted the priests. She ignored the sanctity of the Vedic rituals. Moreover, she and her entourage indulged in a physical fight with the priests.
PC Times Now
The HR & CE official states that she was acting on a Government Order to open the Kanakasabai during the rituals. However, she acted upon the order on the evening of the 27th of June; just a few hours before the restriction’s time limit. Moreover, the DMK government lodged a police complaint against the 11 Deekshitars that obstructed the official from disturbing the sacred ceremony. The accounts of all the priests are being audited in a show of power. The DMK followers are celebrating this lack of decency and reverence for the temple. The question is why the state government can interfere with the rituals and ceremonial practices of a temple. Was it necessary to pass and act upon the Government Order on the last day?
The mishandling and dishonoring of priests seem to be the real aim behind the DMK and the HR & CE official. True devotees, whose rights the DMK government spouts to be protecting, shun this display of irreverence. The blatant interference by the state government in a Hindu place of worship shows the true face of the HR & CE and the DMK. The liberal media is painting this incident as a show of power and an act of discrimination by the priests. Very few stand by the side of Dharma in Tamil Nadu’s power center.
The DMK’s anti-Hindu stance is aptly showcased by their blatant disregard for the honor of the priests and the temple. The HR & CE official was encouraged in her ignorance to harm the beliefs of the very people that have prayed at the Nataraja Temple for centuries. This case displays the urgent need for the government to free Hindu temples from the clutches of state control. The BJP government should also look into this case to prevent harm to the Deekshitars and their community. If the DMK and its supporters are allowed free reign in this matter, the diminishing community of Nataraja devotees will soon be left destitute and at the mercy of non-believers.
The post DMK’s Anti-Hindu Stance in Tamil Nadu Leads to Nataraja Temple’s Desecration in Chidambaram appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
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She knowingly disturbed the rituals and prayers. Her act of barging onto the platform resulted in a scuffle with the custodian priests, the Deekshitars. The official and her accompanying police tore the clothes off priests and broke their Janeu. However, this was not enough to satisfy the DMK government and its supporters. Now, they have lodged charges against 11 Deekshitars for obstructing the official from completing her duty.
The Origins of Deekshitars and the Nataraja Temple
PC TN Temple Project
Legend claims that Rishi Patanjali brought the Deekshitars down with him from Kailash to perform the daily prayers and rituals at the Nataraja Temple. The Sage and the Deekshitars came to worship Lord Shiva when he began the at the temple when he began the great cosmic dance of Tandava.
The Deekshitars are Shiva devotees that follow the Vedic rituals. Another name for them is Thillai Vaazh Andhanar; which means Brahmins living in Thillai or Chidambaram. They are a community of hereditary priests called the Muvariyavar or the 3000 of Tillai. Currently, their numbers have been reduced to 360.
PC India.com
The Nataraja temple at Chidambaram symbolizes the divine connection between art and spirituality. The 108 karanas of the Tandava, depicted in the Natya Shastra, are creatively carved into temple walls. The temple holds a traditional Aani Thirumanjanam festival every year. A rath yatra brings the idol of Lord Shiva outside the sanctum.
During the festival, thousands of devotees throng together for darshan. To manage the large crowd, devotees are not allowed to enter the Kanakasabai during the last 3-4 days of the ritual. However, the temple premises remain open to the public.
DMK issues orders to Desecrate the Home of Lord Nataraja
Seems no English media covering #ChidambaramNatarajaTemple issue. Disgusting. Misuse of power and direct assualt on freedom of worship. Speak out! @ARanganathan72 @AnchorAnandN @ShefVaidya @AskAnshul @TimesNow @republic @UnSubtleDesi @OpIndia_com @palkisu @PadmajaJoshi pic.twitter.com/Ted6sWQ1sm
— Karthi(@SaffronSurge3) June 27, 2023
All true devotees of Lord Nataraja know the rituals of the Aani Thirumanjanam festival. The DMK supporters and the Arya-Dravid divide proponents portray the closure of Kanakasabai as a discriminatory practice. They have repeatedly tried to create problems for the Deekshitars under the pretext of the SC/ST Act. Due to undue complications in the last few years, this year Deekshitars placed an announcement on the temple gate on the inaccessibility of the Kanaksabai from 24-27 June after getting Cuddalore Joint Commissioner’s permission.
The HR & CE official tried to remove the announcement on the 24th of June. The temple priests successfully thwarted her by showing the permission of the Joint Commissioner. However, the HR & CE official came back on the 27th of June with a vengeance. She brought policemen with her and took off the announcement. Furthermore, they forcibly entered the Kanakasabai during the sacred rituals. They harassed and insulted the priests. She ignored the sanctity of the Vedic rituals. Moreover, she and her entourage indulged in a physical fight with the priests.
PC Times Now
The HR & CE official states that she was acting on a Government Order to open the Kanakasabai during the rituals. However, she acted upon the order on the evening of the 27th of June; just a few hours before the restriction’s time limit. Moreover, the DMK government lodged a police complaint against the 11 Deekshitars that obstructed the official from disturbing the sacred ceremony. The accounts of all the priests are being audited in a show of power. The DMK followers are celebrating this lack of decency and reverence for the temple. The question is why the state government can interfere with the rituals and ceremonial practices of a temple. Was it necessary to pass and act upon the Government Order on the last day?
Conclusion
The mishandling and dishonoring of priests seem to be the real aim behind the DMK and the HR & CE official. True devotees, whose rights the DMK government spouts to be protecting, shun this display of irreverence. The blatant interference by the state government in a Hindu place of worship shows the true face of the HR & CE and the DMK. The liberal media is painting this incident as a show of power and an act of discrimination by the priests. Very few stand by the side of Dharma in Tamil Nadu’s power center.
The DMK’s anti-Hindu stance is aptly showcased by their blatant disregard for the honor of the priests and the temple. The HR & CE official was encouraged in her ignorance to harm the beliefs of the very people that have prayed at the Nataraja Temple for centuries. This case displays the urgent need for the government to free Hindu temples from the clutches of state control. The BJP government should also look into this case to prevent harm to the Deekshitars and their community. If the DMK and its supporters are allowed free reign in this matter, the diminishing community of Nataraja devotees will soon be left destitute and at the mercy of non-believers.
The post DMK’s Anti-Hindu Stance in Tamil Nadu Leads to Nataraja Temple’s Desecration in Chidambaram appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
Continue reading...