December is a month when temples in the south of India sees a huge influx of Ayyappa devotees who either on their way to or way back visit temples in Tamil Nadu. The Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple is one among the many temples they visit in large numbers.
It is alleged that a scuffle broke out between the devotees standing in line for darshan and Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department officials as a group of Ayyappa devotees were chanting Govinda Govinda.
According to report by Hindustan Times Tamil, an official was appointed by the temple management to control the burgeoning crowd. More than 30 Ayyappa devotees from neighbouring states who had been waiting for quite some time were scrambling to get the darshan of the lord and were chanting “Govinda Govinda” in devotion. The temple official there asked them not to shout “Govinda Govinda” and asked them to stay silent. As they tried to go ahead and have darshan of the deity chanting “Govinda Govinda”, it resulted in chaos.
An argument broke out between the guarding officials and the devotees which soon escalated into a scuffle.
In the altercation, a devotee named Chenna Rao suffered a broken nose, with blood spilling near the moolasthanam. The temple was later closed for reparative prayers, and devotees filed complaints against guards. Another complaint was filed by the guards against the devotees who were from the neighbouring states.
Iyappa devotees beaten up in Srirangam Ranganatha Swamy temple by @tnhrcedept staff for chanting Govindha Govindha.
Devotees protested right there but "cleverly" taken away by police iyappa.
Everyday scenario in Srirangam. This is what this temole is reduced to some 2013.… pic.twitter.com/NRHsd8aVIA
— Rangarajan Narasimhan (@OurTemples) December 12, 2023
This news of this incident started spreading in social media circles and the HR&CE department has offered an explanation as to what is said to have happened inside the temple. They stated, “34 devotees from Andhra Pradesh hit the hundi with a loud bang and also attacked the temple workers; they grabbed his hair and banged it on the hundi. They did not allow the other devotees to have proper darshan, hence a complaint was made to the police department.”
#BREAKING | ஸ்ரீரங்கம் கோயிலில் நடந்தது என்ன? – அறநிலையத்துறை விளக்கம்#SrirangamTemple pic.twitter.com/9M0JsgfSMA
— PuthiyathalaimuraiTV (@PTTVOnlineNews) December 12, 2023
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