Chidambaram Aani Thirumanjanam 2024 Kanakasabhai Devotees

Exactly a year ago (July 12, 2023!!!!), this section had featured a story relating to the issue of allowing devotees into the Kanakasabhai at the Sabanayakar temple in Chidambaram that had, except for a brief period a few years ago, been a restricted space (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/07/chidambaram-dikshithars-hrce-battle.html). A High Court order had in the past directed the HR & CE (Petitioner) to hold talks with the Secretary of the Pothu Dikshithars regarding this issue. When the case came up for hearing at the Madras High Court this week, the Judge noted that the Petitioner had not held talks with the Pothu Dikshithars as per the previous direction of the court and that they should first hold the talks before coming to the court.

However, TV Channels and Print media have in the last 24 hours or so put out stories leading the public to believe that the Court has directed the opening of the Kanakasabhai and that action would be taken against the Pothu Dikshithars if they refuse to do so during the Aani Thirumanjanam.

Senior Priest Sivaraja Dikshithar told this writer on Friday morning that believing the false news put out on TV channels and fearing police action against them, they have opened up the Kanakasabhai this morning and plan to have a 2km long queue for devotees to have darshan today and tomorrow as part of the Aani Thirumanjam utsavam. "With so much of work to do leading to the Thirumanjanam, we did not have much time to fight against this misleading news. However, we will fight this case in the court and are confident that the Pothu Dikshithars would secure a permanent order restricting the entry of devotees into the Kanakasabhai", he said.

Temple Activist and the man who secured the temple back for the Pothu Dikshithars a decade ago, TR Ramesh (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/02/tr-ramesh-temple-activist.html) has hit out at the media this morning. In a hard hitting post on X, he said, in the last two days TN media was abuzz with false stories concerning Chidambaram Sri Nataraja Temple where a major festival is now taking place. 

"Media reported as if Madras High Court authorised  the HRCE and the Police through an order to take action against Podu Dikshitars if darshan was not allowed. 'Punish those who prevent Kankasabhai worship" is what the media wrote of the order"

Ramesh clarified that the Division Bench passed NO such orders and the order only asks the Petitioner to make a representation to Podhu Dikshitars.

He also said that the Division Bench did not ask for any report in this regard as reported by the media "I do not know how media can twist the truth like this. In my opinion, unless the reporter/media house has an anti-Hindu agenda  or  they are stooges of the HRCE, one would NOT stoop so low to completely twist Court orders and make false news stories concerning ancient  Hindu Temple communities” said a furious Ramesh on his twitter post. 

This has been a long standing battle between the Pothu Dikshithars (with great support from Ramesh) and the HRCE. In May this year, this section featured a story on the efforts of the HRCE to organise the annual Brahmotsavam at the Govindaraja Perumal temple housed inside the same temple complex, one that had not been held for over 150 years. The HRCE had gone to the extent of fixing tentative dates for the utsavam in Vaikasi but once again the Court directed that such an utsavam could not be held without a discussion with the Pothu Dikshithars and thus the revival of that utsavam has been on hold for now (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2024/05/chidambaram-divya-desam-brahmotsavam.html). 

TR Ramesh had fought tooth and nail for a few years to secure the historical rights for the Pothu Dikshithars a decade ago. Now, he is on to another big battle against the HRCE - that of restricting entry into the Kanakasabhai and preventing the Brahmotsavam at the Divya Desam praised by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar and Kulasekara Azhvaar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/08/chidambaram-thillai-thiru-chitrakoodam.html). 

HRCE Minister PK Sekar Babu on his part is eager to take control of the Sabanayakar temple, for this is the only big temple in TN that is out of HRCE's control.

For the moment, the false media reports has meant that the Pothu Dikshithars have been over powered and forced into submission allowing thousands of devotees for a darshan inside the Kanakasabhai today and tomorrow but it is unlikely that Ramesh, whose heart is very close to Sabayanakar and who is currently boiling with anger, will take this false publicity and misleading the Dikshithars, too  kindly.

This section will track the developments.