Vinayaka temple demolished with police protection!

Chennai Feb.14, 2008:The Police arrested 50 persons including 30 women, who protested against the demolition of Vinayalkar temple at Royapuram.

Vetri Vinayakar Temple has been there in the fourth Street, Munuswamy Thottam, Old Washermanpet, Chennai for the last thirty years. The people of that area constructed and had been worshipping the temple at the side of the road. Sripan of the same area filed a petition in the high court with the plea that as the temple has been near to his building causing traffic problems, it should be removed.

Accordingly, the Court has directed the Corporation to remove the temple. Opposing this, the local people and as well as Hindu Munnani volunteers tried to stop the demolition with the request that they had been conducting worship there for the last thirty years.

In fact, a woman, Ponnuthai, a regular worshipping devotee became so emotional that she even threatened that she would self-immolate, if the temple was demolished. It was a pathetic and moving to see the women were looking aghast and crying helplessly. Even the local Councilor belonging to P. M. K, Rajendran joined the people in the protest (generally, the PMK cadres have been rabid rabble-rousing atheist category).

Kamini, the Deputy Police commissioner of Washermenpet, Madsamy, Kannappan, Murai Assistant Commissioners had discussion with the protesting people. The people started singing Bhajans and lighting lights worshipping.

The Police however, arrested more than 100 people protesting there preventing the Corporation workers to carry out demolition and then, the temple was demolition with the Police protection.

(Based on Dinamalar report, Chennai edition, p.15).

Shri Veda Prakash Comments

None cares if temples are demolished; sold or disposed off silently. In India, the encroaching, trespassing and taking over of temples have been a making inroads tactics for the Mohammedan-Christian-Dravidian-atheist minded people. First, they construct compound wall encroaching the temple land; then, protrude the ceiling or sunshade right inside the temple land; construct wall according to the protruded ceiling or sunshade as mark and thus entering into temple land; in other cases, two-three fellows do these from three sides and cover up the temple. In yet another Octopus-type category, they engulf from all sides and the temple would go inside their establishment or disappear within times!!

*The demolition of temples in Chennai / Madras or for that matter in India and even abroad nowadays have not been any news for any believes or non-believers or Hindus in particular.

*The magnificent “TempleCarTower” at Singaperumal Koil was demolished for road-widening, but it could not have been replicated or replaced exactly, and people have forgotten all together. At that time no S. Muthaiah cared or worried that an old monument disappeared. This fellow used to drop tears whenever, the so-called Victorian / British buildings are damaged or crumbled down themselves because of ageing. He writes immediately in “The Hindu” and “Madras Musings” at length to protect our heritage and so on! However, he does not bother about any other “heritage buildings”!! What to do, he could inherit only such heritage.

Responses