Kandadevi temple car taken on trial by Devasthanam staff; large posse of police ensured smooth run

Successful trial run of car pulling at Sornamurtheeswarar Temple in Sivaganga district, with tight security and CCTV cameras.

The temple administration at the famous Sornamurtheeswarar Temple in Kandadevi in Sivaganga district successfully pulled the car on a trial basis by taking it around the four radha veedhis here on Sunday.

Ramanathapuram Range DIG of Police Durai, Sivaganga district Superintendent of Police Arvind and a large posse of police drawn from neighbouring districts were deployed on bandobust duty.

The temple administration had made arrangements to pull the car as per the court directive. Actually, the date was fixed as January 21. However, due to the Prime Minister’s visit to Rameswaram, the date was rescheduled to February 11, they clarified.

Amidst tight security, the Devasthanam staff pulled the car at around 6.30 a.m. and after passing through the four radha veedhis, the car was brought back to the temple at 7.55 a.m.

The police had installed 18 CCTV cameras at six different locations.

The car festival was suspended since 1998 after there was a clash between Dalits and other communities over participation and temple honours.

As the district administration imposed prohibitory orders in the past considering the law and order, the car festival could not be held after 2006. When the issue was taken in the HC Bench in Madurai in 2012, the court directed the Devasthanam to draft a plan and take steps to pull the car.