In Nagercoil town of Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district, Hindu devotees were protesting in opposition to a ban imposed via the Tamil Nadu executive on accumulating on the Mandaikadu Bhagwathi Ammam Temple. This temple is devoted to Goddess Shakthi.
For greater than 80 years, a non secular convention is arranged via the Haindava Seva Sangham (HSS) on the temple right through the well-known Masi Kodai pageant held once a year on. Beginning on March 5, this pageant will remaining for ten days. This time, on the other hand, the Hindu Spiritual and Charity Endowment (HRCE) Board has decreed that “non-public” spiritual gatherings and meetings would now not be accredited, successfully outlawing the spiritual convention hosted via the Haindava Seva Sangham.
Hindu devotees protesting in opposition to TN executive (Symbol by way of JanamTV)
This transfer via the HRCE division of the Tamil Nadu executive has been extensively criticized via the native Hindus who’ve been peacefully protesting in more than a few portions of Kanyakumari. On Wednesday (February 15), a number of Hindu devotees together with ladies blocked the roads at more than one places in Kanyakumari together with Melpurum, Marthandam, Nagercoil, and Towala. The protesting Hindus stated that they’re going to now not permit the federal government to achieve preventing actions associated with Hindu Dharma.
Haindava Seva Sangham
In its document, Swarajya highlighted the continual efforts of the Haindava Seva Sangham within the provider of Hindu dharma. For over the past 89 years, Haindava Seva Sangham has been organizing Hindu spiritual meetings on the Mandaikadu. All the way through the British colonial rule, HSS posed a vital resistance to the evangelist forces that have been well-funded and sponsored via the British management. HSS did the Herculean process of uniting Hindus in opposition to the conversion missionaries.
Distinguished gala’s of Hindus have been continuously the goals of Christian missionaries’ conversion campaigns. In the fitting position the place Hindus had collected to worship, they might construct a platform and denigrate the Hindu devi-devtas. Since there used to be no right kind group of the Hindus, there used to be infrequently any opposition to the actions of the Christian missionaries. Even on the Mandaikadu Bhagwathi Amman Temple, which is sometimes called the ‘Sabrimala of girls’ as ladies devotees right here elevate ‘Irumudi Kattu’ to the temple, and practice rituals very similar to the ones carried out via Hindu males on the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
The Church intentionally intimidated Hindus via positioning audio system in opposition to the temple right through this shrine’s pageant. This used to be antagonistic via the HSS.
1982 Mandaikadu riots
In March 1982, when MGR, the preferred actor-turned-politician used to be the Leader Minister of Tamil Nadu, below the affect of the Christian priest, a number of Christian locals barred Hindu ladies from gaining access to the sacred bathtub and molested them. This led to violent clashes. Six individuals died and 21 others have been significantly injured on March 1 when police opened hearth upon Christian fishermen who reportedly stopped Hindu ladies from taking the ceremonial bathtub.
Following this, Venugopal Fee used to be constituted via the then CM MGR-led executive to inspect the instances that ended in the communal riots and in addition sought ideas with the intention to save you such incidents from going down one day. The fee led via Justice P Venugopal made a number of suggestions together with the implementation of a commonplace civil code consistent with the tips said in Article 44 of the Indian charter, curtailing of international price range via amending the Overseas Contribution (Law) Act as these kinds of international price range despatched for academic functions of the Christian establishments have been diverted to fund conversion actions on Indian soil. Additionally, the fee additionally beneficial enacting an anti-conversion regulation.
Swarajya document has identified the alternate within the technique followed via the ‘church’ as now they have got claimed that Mandaikadu Bhagwathi Ammam is a sister of Mary. To again this declare, “the inputs from Folklore learn about Departments of Catholic managed self sufficient universities round are used.”
Mandaikadu Bhagwathi Ammam Temple – ‘Sabrimala of girls’
The Mandaikadu Bhagavathi Amman Temple is devoted to Goddess Shakthi. A fifteen-foot-tall anthill is respected because the Goddess on this location. It’s believed that the anthill, which has 5 heads, is continuously rising. It’s believed that it’s the identical position the place Adi Shankaracharya as soon as introduced pooja to a Sri Chakra. There may be a Sri Chakra sanctum sanctorum.
The identify “Ladies’s Sabarimala” used to be derived from the massive collection of ladies who rapid for 41 days, particularly the ones from Kerala, and who thereafter commute to the Mandaikadu Bhagavathi Amman Temple whilst wearing the “Irumudi Kettu” on their heads. The temple’s design is harking back to Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple in Kerala.
Yearly right through the Maasi Kodai Competition, which takes position in February, ladies in Kerala rapid for 41 days and seek advice from Mandaikadu Temple, a lot as males rapid for 41 days to wish at Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple.