After 12 Years, Dalits Enter And Pray At Temple Near Chennai (representative image/beontheroad)

For the first time in 12 years, in a village called Vazhuthalambedu in Chennai, Dalits offered their prayers at the Bidari Ettiyamman Temple after officials’ intervened. Till these many years, a dominant community in the region called Vanniyar refused the scheduled caste community to walk through the streets to pray at the temple.

On Monday, however, Tiruvallur collector Prabhu Sankar and superintendent of police Srinivasa Perumal intervened and ensured individuals from the marginalised castes could pray at the temple.

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The scheduled castes, who reside  in a colony outside the village, were restricted from using the streets in front of their houses leading to rising tensions in the region.

Though there is another path to the temple that doesn’t pass through the Vanniyar habitation, the Vanniyar had used it to dry their paddy and said no one should walk over it, reported the Times of India.

Ever since the temple was built on poramboke land near a pond in 1958, the problem began. The HR&CE department took over the administration of the temple in 1998.

The temple was later locked and sealed in 2002 after Vanniyar objected to the scheduled castes entering the temple for kumbhabhishekam. Later reopening after 10 years for another kumbhabhishekam and the same scene was repeated.

The community leaders said that they stayed away to avoid trouble. After a peace meeting, this year HR&CE department performed kumbhabhishekam. However, a day after, the scheduled castes were stopped from using the street that led to the temple. The temple was locked and sealed by revenue officials. The police also registered a case against nearly 1,500 people for preventing people from the scheduled castes from entering the temple.

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To resolve the solution, collector Prabhu Shankar stated that they reviewed the revenue documents and confirmed that 160 meters connecting the villages to the temple were originally donated to the temple. They transferred the land and registered it under the HR&CE department’s name so that all the public can use it.

The district administration will lay the road to each temple. After having a discussion with both groups, Shankar said they have agreed to sanction Rs 76 lakhs to resolve their demands including separate mandapams, provision for cremation and more.