The Thandu Maari Amman Temple is a famous temple located in Mandaveli near the market in Mylapore, Chennai. It is said to be more than 150 years old.
The temple had remained closed for months due to the lockdown enforced to contain the Wuhan virus pandemic.
It was opened this week following the Tamil Nadu government’s order to relax the lockdown that permitted the opening of temples and other religious places for public worship.
Now the temple has been shut perpetually due to a non-vegetarian biryani shop named “Night Spot”.
It is said that the distance between the biryani shop and the temple is just two metres. Not only do they prepare the biryani in close proximity to this temple but the shop also has customers standing outside and eating it causing hindrance to devotees.
The temple priest Jayaraman was quoted in a local daily saying that devotees have been staying aloof from the temple due to the non-veg biryani shop. “This old temple has no ‘hundials/hundis’. Only the offering made by devotees on the aarati plate is used for survival. Many people with ailments come to this temple who are given neem leaves and they get cured. Now because of this biryani shop, devotees are hesitant to come.”
In a video that was shared by a user in Twitter, the priest says that he does not have the strength to oppose them. “There is a respect that needs to be given to the God. That respect has to be shown by everyone – be it Christian, Muslim or Hindu. They are cooking and selling the biryani just outside the temple.”
The person taking the video asks if he had raised the issue with them. The priest says that he did but was told that “they are just doing their business” and if there are any complaints he can “speak to the owner”. When the matter was raised with the owner, he had said that he will ask them to shift indoors. However it was not done. When he had again raised the matter saying that he might have to close the temple if the biryani shop was not relocated, the owner had replied saying “please go ahead”.
This is near Mandaveli Lane
Temple closed because of a biryani shop https://t.co/Jy0OyFaXcc pic.twitter.com/1RYLzYQ0bc— Tinku_Venkatesh | ಟಿಂಕು ವೆಂಕಟೇಶ್ (@tweets_tinku) September 3, 2020
The priest says that he does not have the strength to oppose them. Now, a board has been placed outside the temple that reads “The temple is closed due to the nuisance caused by cooking and selling non-vegetarian food near the temple.”
Devotees have now demanded that the biryani shop be removed from the spot and shifted elsewhere.