Another attempt by missionaries to claim Hindu sacred sites as their own has surfaced, with Hindu Munnani alleging that miscreants secretly planted a ‘Christian Cross’ at the Agaya Shiva Lingam and Murugan Temple hills on Sethukarai Hill in Gudiyatham, Vellore district.

This incident comes on the heels of the full moon day on 15 November 2024, which holds special significance for Hindus. On this auspicious occasion, devotees, especially locals, typically visit the temples to walk the Girivala path, offer prayers, perform rituals, and partake in celebrations, including annadanam (community meals).

However, some devotees noticed a cross had been placed at the temple sites, prompting them to alert the police, Hindu activists, and Hindu Munanni cadres. Together, they lodged a formal complaint, calling for the immediate removal of the cross, which they believe could incite communal tensions.

In response, the police and revenue department have pledged to address the situation. Hindu Munanni has announced plans for a protest around the Girivala route to condemn the planting of the cross by anti-social elements and to demand its removal. Authorities have assured the public that they will take action, including the arrest of those responsible, and that the cross will be removed from the hilltop.

#வேலூர் மாவட்டம், குடியாத்தம், #செதுக்கரை பகுதியில் உள்ள சிவன் மற்றும் #முருகர் #மலையின் மீது, சமூக விரோதிகளால் #சிலுவை நடப்பட்டிருந்ததை கண்டித்து, அதை அகற்றக்கோரி இந்துமுன்னணி சார்பில், கிரிவலம் சுற்றி வரும் போராட்டம் அறிவித்திருந்த நிலையில், காவல்துறை மற்றும் வருவாய்த்துறை pic.twitter.com/YvjXbdCvdS

— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnani_tn) November 16, 2024

Previously, attempts were made by Christian missionaries to rename the Hindu temple hill of Chennimalai to “Yesu Malai.” The Chennimalai Murugan Temple, located in Erode district and with a history spanning over 3,000 years, has recently been thrust into the spotlight due to a contentious proposal by the local Christian Munnani group to rename the hill “Kalvaari Malai” or “Yesu Malai.” This suggestion has sparked strong opposition from the local Hindu community, who have been venerating Lord Murugan at this sacred site for generations.

Chennimalai, also known by other names like Siragiri and Pushpagiri, is an important religious and cultural landmark, with the famous hymn “Kanda Sashti Kavacham” first being staged here by Sri Bala Devaraya Swamigal. The hill, located between Erode and Coimbatore, holds immense significance for Hindus in the region, and the renaming proposal has caused considerable distress among them.

The controversy escalated after a series of unauthorized Christian prayer meetings were held in Chennimalai, which led to tensions within the predominantly Hindu community. These meetings, which were criticized for making offensive remarks about Hindu deities, attracted attendees from outside the town. The situation turned violent on September 17, 2023, when members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) clashed with Hindu Munnani supporters over the prayer gatherings, leading to physical altercations and police involvement.

The issue took a more serious turn when some Christian leaders openly suggested renaming Chennimalai as “Kalvari Hill.” This move was seen as an attempt to undermine the religious and cultural identity of the site. Hindu organizations, particularly the Hindu Munnani, condemned this suggestion, accusing the Christian Munnani of trying to erase the temple’s significance for political reasons. They announced plans for a large protest on to oppose the renaming and defend the sacredness of the hill.

In addition to this dispute, there have been concerns raised about the encroachment of Christian missionaries on other Hindu sites in Tamil Nadu, such as Vajragiri hill, where allegations of restricting Hindu access to temples have further fueled religious tensions in the region.

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The post Hindu Munnani Alleges Attempt By Missionaries To Plant Cross Near Hindu Temple In Vellore’s Sethukarai Hill appeared first on The Commune.

Featured Image Credits: Reclaim Temples\Twitter

Authorities have been yet again caught napping as a church complex has been built on top of the ancient Thirumalapuram cave temple in Tiruneveli, Tamil Nadu.

The church complex is built by illegally encroaching on the temple hill beneath which lies the seventh century cave temple. Dated to the Pandyan era, the Thirumalapuram cave temple is dedicated to the God Shiva and housed a monolithic Shiva Linga, until it was reportedly destroyed by Christians. By virtue of being a site of historical importance, the site is under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Remains of Nandi at the ancient Thirumalapuram cave temple, Tirunelveli.

The Shiva temple was earlier used by Christian missionaries as a Church. They completely destroyed monolithic Nandi infront of Mahadev.

Hindus still worship whatever remains of the Nandi.#ReclaimTemples pic.twitter.com/B1zgupuxAk

— Reclaim Temples (@ReclaimTemples) March 3, 2021

The Sendamaram Tirumalaimatha Church built on top of the cave temple comes under the authority of the Diocese of Palayamkottai. The Diocese’s website even mentions that the chapel and Christian structure was built on top of  a pre-existing Hindu temple.

The Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) has filed complaints with the ASI and the Ministry of Culture against this encroachment. The LRO requested “immediate intervention” regarding the issue.

Complaint lodged at Archaeological Survey Of India @ASIGoI @MinOfCultureGoI @prahladspatel against encroachment of #Thirumalapuram Cave Temple at #Tirunelveli, #TamilNadu by illegal #Church structure. Requested immediate intervention @ReclaimTemples had flagged d issue pic.twitter.com/PgIRT1HCMq

— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) March 8, 2021

Cases of temple land encroachment ― by various groups for a variety of purposes ― are a dime a dozen in the nation. Particularly, the states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are seeing a rise in cases where Christian groups build unauthorised and illegal religious structures on encroached land.

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The post Church complex built on top of 7th century cave temple in Tamil Nadu, complaint lodged appeared first on The Commune.

In a shocking incident, an Amman temple in Tirupattur district was found vandalized with Christian cross symbol painted all over the walls of the temple in an attempt to convert it into a Church.

The incident happened at Ellappalli village in Naatrampalli Taluk of Tiruppatur district. According to the complaint registered by the villagers with the Naatrampalli police, the temple is said to be quite old and worshipped by 250 families of the area as per Hindu traditions.

The complaint states that one Baskar (son of Mahendran and Baby) had earlier broken the idols and the hundi for which a complaint was registered with the police on 31^st July 2020 and 11^th November 2020.

Baskar on the night of 14^th January (Pongal day) had turned off the street lights and painted the cross on the walls of the temple to convert it to a Church. He had also painted the cross on electric poles and on the bridge near the temple.

The complaint further states that when the villagers had confronted Baskar on the matter, he had abused them using vulgar words and said that they can’t do anything to him as he is backed by five people. He had told them that he did the act upon the incitement of those five 5 people and that nothing can be done to them.

The villagers have asked the police to take severe action against the perpetrators for trying to incite religious clash.

The post Shocking: Christian convert paints cross on walls of Amman Temple in Tiruppatur appeared first on The Commune.