On Sunday, despite opposition from upper caste communities, about 300 men, women, and children of the Scheduled Caste (SC) attended a shrine in Tamil Nadu.
Chennai: On Sunday, despite opposition from upper caste communities, about 300 men, women, and children of the Scheduled Caste (SC) attended a shrine in Tamil Nadu under full police protection.
A 12-day festival is held each year during Pongal at the Muthu Mariyamman Temple at Thandarampattu in Thiruvannamalai, which is managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Board.
But for the previous 80 years, Dalit families were denied entry to the temple; this year, community members asked the village leaders for approval so that they could take part in the festival for one day and allow entry into the temple.
They approached the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) authorities in Thiruvannamalai and filed a petition after the village chiefs refused, which sparked an investigation.
HR&CE authorities took the decision and allowed the Dalits to get entry to the temple after learning that Dalits were not permitted in the shrine.
A new story was written on Sunday. The upper-caste communities voiced after government representatives reaffirmed that everyone has a right to use temples.
A number of Dalit households entered the temple, bringing garlands and ingredients for Pongal, and received darshan from the goddess.
On Monday, Chief Minister MK Stalin, Assembly Speaker Appavu, Cabinet ministers, MPs and MLAs of the DMK, the chief secretary, and other senior government officials took an oath against untouchability on Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary.
This is the third instance this month in Tamil Nadu when Dalits entered temples with the help of HR&CE and district authorities.
