Tamil Nadu Temple Shut Temporarily After Dalits Denied Entry

The Kaliamman Temple—a famed temple in the region that hosts the figure of Hindu Goddess Kali—attracts a large number of worshippers from across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry annually.

Karur, Tamil Nadu: A famous temple in Tamil Nadu’s Veeranampatti was reportedly shut down after some Dalit devotees were allegedly denied entry inside the shrine.

Some people belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) claimed that they were not allowed to enter the famed Kaliamman Temple during the recently held Vaikasi festival, according to a report by India Today.

Thousands of people arrived from nearby villages to participate in the festival which also included around 80 Dalit families who alleged that they were discriminated against by the temple authorities and not allowed to enter the premises, the report stated.

The families then staged a protest to demand action against the temple authorities, following which the issue was referred to Kadavur Tahsildar Muniraj. Muniraj held talks with the Dalits as well as temple authorities, however, both sides remained adamant on their respective demands and refused to budge, resulting in the decision of the temple to be shut till further notice. The temple has now been closed temporarily and the authorities are yet to clarify when the temple will reopen for the public, the report said

The Kaliamman Temple, a famed temple in the region that hosts the figure of the Hindu Goddess Kali, attracts a large number of worshippers from across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry annually.

In a similar incident, another temple in the state’s Villupuram district was reportedly shut down on Wednesday after Dalits were allegedly denied entry by people belonging to a different caste in a row that has been raging since April this year.

Amid the inter-caste tussle, Villupuram district authorities on Wednesday sealed Droupadi Amman Temple – which is run by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department – near Melpadi in a bid to prevent any law and order issues following the raging dispute between the Dalits and the dominant caste which has been going on since April, India Today reported.

A senior official, as per the report, said that the district administration officials held multiple rounds of talks with both groups but neither refused to give an inch, hence no amicable solution could be found to resolve the issue.

The official said the dominant caste had raised objections after the Dalit man had entered the temple in April this year, and later barred entry into the temple to people belonging to the Dalit community.

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