“Temples Are Abode Of Gods, Not Laboratories”: DMK Govt Gets Another Knock From Madras HC Over Appointment Of Untrained Archakas In Thiruchendhur Murugan Temple

The MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu has received yet another knock from the Madras High Court, this time over the appointment of archakas at the Thiruchendur Subramania Swamy Temple.

A petition was filed by Thiruchenduar Subramania Swamy Temple independent Paripalana Sthalastar Sabha President Veerabagu Murthy and Joint Secretary Harihara Subramanian against the Government Order (GO) issued by the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department. The GO passed on 28 August 2023 ordered to appoint those who underwent training under the ‘All Castes Can Become Priests’ scheme as trainee priests under a senior priest. The petitioners contend that this GO was illegal.

According to the petitioners, there are already the Thirisudhandhirargal who have undergone rigorous training of the Agamas (a doctrine comprising of temple rituals, cosmology, epistemology, philosophy, and other practices).

They noted in their petition that it takes atleast 5-6 years to study the Vedas and Agamas completely and that it is impossible to learn them fully under the government’s one year training programme. They said that appointing them as new archakas is unwarranted as apprentice priests for one year under the senior priest will be paid a salary of ₹8000 per month from the temple fund. Highlighting these, the petitioners moved the High Court for a stay on the GO.

The counsel for the government argued that the matter pertains to appointment of individuals and that an association/body cannot file a case on their behalf.

After hearing the arguments, Justice S. Srimathy noted that the petitioners only contend that they cannot be trained in agamic temples and added that even private agama training centers in Pilliyarpatti and Tiruparangunram do not conduct archaka training in temples. The judge noted that it is against the agamas to train inside the temple under a senior archaka.

Temples are the abodes of Gods. Devotees go to temple to worship Gods. Temples cannot be considered as training centres or laboratories.“, the judge observed.

The judge also pointed out that the HR&CE department did not even mention under which agama the candidates under the government scheme were trained.

Justice Srimathy noted that a priest should be trained in a particular agama from the first day of the training course and that one cannot change from one Agama to another Agama. She noted that it is against the ordinance passed by the HR&CE departmnt in 2007 to employ an untrained priest in the temple and then train them under the senior priest without specifying the agama under which they were trained. Justice Srimathy ruled in favour of the petitioners imposing an interim stay on the DMK Government’s order saying it is against the Supreme Court and High Court orders with a case related to this matter already pending in the Supreme Court.

Interestingly none of the top mainstream media outlets had reported about this incident.

(With inputs from Dinamalar)

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