Revenue officials seal Droupadi Amman temple in Villupuram following dispute over temple entry

Despite the temple being under the control of the T.N. HR&CE Department for the past 45 years, a section of the temple administration and caste Hindus in the village have prevented Adi Dravidars from entering; the temple was sealed after multiple rounds of talks between the disputing groups failed, officials said

Revenue officials on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, sealed the Dharmaraja Droupadi Amman temple in Melpathi village, Villupuram district in view of the prevailing tense situation. The temple was sealed by Villupuram Revenue Divisional Officer S. Ravichandran under Section 145 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) with a view to preventing any possible law and order problems. The temple is in the midst ongoing dispute, with caste Hindus barring the entry of Adi Dravidars into it.

The temple, located on government poromboke land has been under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department for the past 45 years. The HR&CE Department had taken control of the administration by appointing a Temple ‘Fit Person’ (Thakkar) on April 12 this year. However, one section of both the temple administration and village residents have continued to discriminate against Adi Dravidars and prevented them from entering the temple.

According to an official, “The action was taken after several rounds of peace talks held between caste Hindus and Adi Dravidars failed to break the impasse. The Revenue authorities had received inputs that the Adi Dravidars had planned to enter the temple while the caste Hindus had strongly opposed the move. Though the temple comes under the control of the HR and CE, the caste Hindus have claimed that the presiding deity is their “Kuladeivam” and the department had no right over the temple”.

Cases were registered at the Valavanur police station in the wake of a dispute between the two sides, over offering worship in the temple. A huge posse of police personnel led by an Additional Deputy Superintendent of Police have been deployed in the temple premises to prevent any untoward incident.

The official cited the possibility of the breach of peace owing to proposed agitation/demonstration, which may cause danger to the public and cause disturbance to public order. It was essential on the part of the executive magistrate to preserve the peace, he said in his proceedings.

Meanwhile, the RDO has asked both sides to appear before his office in Villupuram on Friday and file written submissions of their arguments over the case. The official also added that members and their representatives belonging to both sides would not be permitted inside the temple till the end of the proceedings, and that any attempt to enter the temple will make violators liable for criminal action.