Tension prevailed inside the famous Nataraja temple here on Sunday after priests tried to prevent a man from rendering Tamil devotional hymns “dhevaram” inside the sanctum sanctorum, police said.
Unruly scenes were witnessed by the devotees after Arumuga Swamy, who had been trying to sing “dhevaram” inside the sanctum sanctorum for the past several years, reached the temple armed with an order by a court-appointed official permitting him to sing there.
About 50 ‘deekshitars’ (temple priests), who own the temple, blocked Swamy reiterating their stance that he could not enter the sanctum sanctorum but could recite it outside, police said.
However, Swamy entered the sanctum sanctorum with the assistance of a police team led by District Superintendent of Police (DSP) Pradeep Kumar. In the ensuing scuffle, the priests tried to pull out Swamy from the sacred spot. The police forcefully evicted the priests and Swamy was allowed to render the hymn penned by saint poets—Appar, Thirunavakkarasar, Sundarar and Manickavasagar— praising Lord Shiva.
Swamy had filed a case in Madras High Court seeking permission to sing inside the sanctum sanctorum. Admitting his petition, the court had asked Secretary of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Trust to look into the matter.
The Trust’s secretary Santhanam had issued an order last week stating that Swamy could sing inside the sanctum sanctorum without causing disturbance to devotees.
Swamy had contended that “dhevaram” was sung inside sanctum sanctorum of the temple some 60 years back. Later on, it was not permitted by the priests. Nowadays, only the priests enter the sanctum sanctorum. The priests’ contended that Swamy could sing it inside the temple premises, but not inside sanctum sanctorum.