On Monday (April 11, 2022), the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department of the Tamil Nadu Government, took over the decades old Ayodhya Mandapam in Chennai, despite strong protests from local residents and other Hindu orgnizations.
Officers of the HR&CE department led by Executive Officer Shakthi and Assistant Commissioner Kavithini, arrived on the spot and took possession of the Mandapam while those who protested were forcibly removed and detained by the police.
The Tamil Nadu government’s move to take over the Ayodhya Mandapam came just a day after the auspicious occassion of Ram Navami.
About Ayodhya Mandapam
The Ayodhya Aswamedha Maha Mandapam located on Arya Gowda Road in West Mambalam locality of Chennai, is a community hall where Hindu spiritual discourses and poojas are held periodically.
The Mandapam is run by Sri Ram Samaj, a registered society, managed by an elected body comprising of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary and a Treasurer.
It was registered in the year 1958 and the name “Sri Ram Samaj” was given by Brahmasri Somadeva Sarma, the father of famous spiritual discourser, Srivatsa Jayarama Sarma.
The Ayodhya Mandapam is the brainchaild by one K. Subramania Iyer, fondly remembered as KS who along with Srinivasa Rao, a reporter of The Hindu, thought of celebrating Sri Rama Navami with great fervour and public participation.
Subramania Iyer along with Srinivasa Rao approached noted Congress leader Veppathur Venkatrama Iyer who gave a donation of ₹25 to celebrate Ram Navami that year. He also helped them collect funds from the neighbourhood and amount of ₹242 was collected with which the first Rama Navami celebrations were held under a thatched shed on a vacant land in Bhaktavatsalam Street, opposite to the present Ayodhya Mandapam.
Later a four ground plot was identified in Arya Gowda Road. Congress leader Venkatrama Iyer helped solve the encumbrance and other legalities the land held. The cost of the land was ₹5400 which was made available by K. Sundaresa Iyer the younger brother of K. Subramania as a loan which was repaid over three years.
The Ayodhya Mandapam is not a temple. It does not have a vigraham (deity idol) that has been as per the Agama traditions. A Thanjavur painting of Lord Ram purchased in 1957 is worshipped by devotees.
Other Properties Of Sri Ram Samaj
Years later, a vacant plot was purchased in Murthy Street and a community centre was built which today exists as the Mithilapuri Kalyana Mandapam.
It is primarily used by poor and middle class Brahmins to hold domestic functions like weddings, seemandham (baby shower), ayushyahomam (1st birthday), sashtiabdapoorthi (60th anniversary) and sadabhsishekam (80th anniversary).
Another plot was purchased to establish “Gnanavapi” in 1983, which is used for performing obsequies to departed souls.
The Sri Ram Samaj also establihed the Sri Sitaram Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School in 1987.
How An Internal Dispute Let The State Enter Ayodhya Mandapam
In 2013, a person who was rejected a membership in Sri Ram Samaj, shot off a letter to the HR&CE department alleging mismanagement of funds by the Samaj.
Subsequently, the HR&CE department took over the Ayodhya Mandapam in January 2014 through an order dated December 31, 2013, citing Section 49 (1) of the HR&CE Act.
This move by the HR&CE Department came on the same day the Supreme Court ruled against the Tamil Nadu government’s control over the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple.
A ‘Fit Person’ was appointed by the HR&CE Department back then to probe the finances and manage the affairs of the Mandapam.
So, technically, the take over of Ayodhya Mandapam by HR&CE did not happen now but in 2014 itself when the AIADMK was in power.
Just like now, the government’s move to take over the Mandapam was resisted by locals. Sri Ram Samaj filed a petition in the Madras High Court against the take over.
The petitioner claimed that the Ayodhya Mandapam was not a temple as no idol was installed as per the Agama Shastra for public worship. Sri Ram Samaj contended that only portraits of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and Lord Hanuman were present for which poojas were performed.
However on March 31, 2022, the Madras High Court dismissing the writ petition, passed orders that whether the Ayodhya Mandapam is a temple or not cannot be decided in writ proceedings.
Justice VM Velumani who passed the orders noted that it was open to the petitioner to challenge the proceedings of the HR&CE before an appropriate forum.
As the Court did not give an injunction, it became easy for the ruling DMK government to swing into action.
The matter in effect is sub-judice as the Court has neither allowed the HR&CE to proceed with the take over nor has stopped it.
This is how an internal dispute in the Samaj has led to the ‘secular’ state to brazenly enter a ‘religious’ place.
Why HR&CE’s Move Is Illegal
As mentioned earlier, the Ayodhya Mandapam is not a temple built according to Agama Shastras but a community hall used for religious purpose. There is no deity installed as per the Agama Shastra and poojas are performed to the portraits/figurines of Lord Ram, Lord Sita, and Lord Hanuman.
So, the HR&CE prima facie has no locus standi to interfere in the affairs of the Mandapam.
However, the HR&CE has contended that it found idols during the inspection adding that it is a public temple and that the Samaj had been receiving huge amount of money through hundial.
Also, the HR&CE Department had appointed the Executive Officer (EO) of the Baladandayudhapani Temple in Teynampet as the ‘fit person’ to manage the affairs of the Mandapam. T.R. Ramesh of the Temple Worshippers Society has said that the appointment of the EO is invalid as he had no appointment order in the first place.
He also said that a government servant could not be appointed as trustee in the place of sole trustee, and that only a practising Hindu can be.
The Supreme Court’s judgement in the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple Case implies that the government cannot take over a temple without substantial proven mismanagement.
However, HR&CE officials have only taken action based on ‘allegations’ that money was being misused by members for personal use.
Even if the take over has been effected, the government cannot be in control of a Hindu religious institution for eternity. The apex court in the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple case had observed, “Even if the management of a temple is taken over to remedy the evil, the management must be handed over to the person concerned immediately after the evil stands remedied. Continuation thereafter would tantamount to usurpation of their proprietary rights or violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution in favour of the persons deprived. Therefore, taking over of the management in such circumstances must be for a limited period… Supercession of rights of administration cannot be of a permanent enduring nature.”
The Double Standards
Many Hindu devotees and social media activists have questioned what was the urgency for the HR&CE department to take over the Ayodhya Mandapam.
Back in October 2021, the Madras High Court had directed the HR&CE Department to evict the Queensland amusement park from 21 acres of land in Poonamallee belonging to Kasi Viswanathaswami temple and Venugopalaswami temple.
The amusement park owner late ‘Oorvasi’ Selvaraj who also founded the King’s Engineering College, was a former Congress MLA and his wife Nalini Selvaraj is today a prominent Christian evangelist.
Despite the Court’s order, no action has been taken to evict the encroachers from the temple land.
The haste in which the HR&CE has acted to take over the Ayodhya Mandapam while turning a blind eye to the encroachment of Queensland has raised questions about the intention of the ruling DMK.
An Act Of Vengeance?
The West Mambalam area in Chennai is predominantly inhabited by members of the Brahmin community. The DMK’s visceral hatred and targetting of the community is well known.
In the recently concluded urban local body elections, voters of West Mambalam had elected BJP leader Uma Anandan as the ward councillor.
She is the lone BJP councillor in the 200-member Greater Chennai Corporation where a majority of the councillors are from the DMK.
That a Brahmin woman BJP leader has managed to win a seat in Chennai, which is considered to be a stronghold of the DMK is a political angle that is gaining traction.
On April 1, 2022, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi visited the Ayodhya Mandapam to inaugurate the Ram Navami celebrations.
It is apparent that the ruling DMK does not share a cordial relationship with Governor Ravi as they have been at loggerheads ever since he assumed office.
The fact that the Tamil Nadu government’s move came just days after his visit lends much credit to the allegations of political vendetta behind the move.
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The Ayodhya Mandapam Controversy Explained
On Monday (April 11, 2022), the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department of the Tamil Nadu Government, took over the decades old Ayodhya Mandapam in Chennai, despite strong protests from local residents and other Hindu orgnizations.
Officers of the HR&CE department led by Executive Officer Shakthi and Assistant Commissioner Kavithini, arrived on the spot and took possession of the Mandapam while those who protested were forcibly removed and detained by the police.
The Tamil Nadu government’s move to take over the Ayodhya Mandapam came just a day after the auspicious occassion of Ram Navami.
About Ayodhya Mandapam
The Ayodhya Aswamedha Maha Mandapam located on Arya Gowda Road in West Mambalam locality of Chennai, is a community hall where Hindu spiritual discourses and poojas are held periodically.
The Mandapam is run by Sri Ram Samaj, a registered society, managed by an elected body comprising of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Assistant Secretary and a Treasurer.
It was registered in the year 1958 and the name “Sri Ram Samaj” was given by Brahmasri Somadeva Sarma, the father of famous spiritual discourser, Srivatsa Jayarama Sarma.
The Ayodhya Mandapam is the brainchaild by one K. Subramania Iyer, fondly remembered as KS who along with Srinivasa Rao, a reporter of The Hindu, thought of celebrating Sri Rama Navami with great fervour and public participation.
Subramania Iyer along with Srinivasa Rao approached noted Congress leader Veppathur Venkatrama Iyer who gave a donation of ₹25 to celebrate Ram Navami that year. He also helped them collect funds from the neighbourhood and amount of ₹242 was collected with which the first Rama Navami celebrations were held under a thatched shed on a vacant land in Bhaktavatsalam Street, opposite to the present Ayodhya Mandapam.
Later a four ground plot was identified in Arya Gowda Road. Congress leader Venkatrama Iyer helped solve the encumbrance and other legalities the land held. The cost of the land was ₹5400 which was made available by K. Sundaresa Iyer the younger brother of K. Subramania as a loan which was repaid over three years.
The Ayodhya Mandapam is not a temple. It does not have a vigraham (deity idol) that has been as per the Agama traditions. A Thanjavur painting of Lord Ram purchased in 1957 is worshipped by devotees.
Other Properties Of Sri Ram Samaj
Years later, a vacant plot was purchased in Murthy Street and a community centre was built which today exists as the Mithilapuri Kalyana Mandapam.
It is primarily used by poor and middle class Brahmins to hold domestic functions like weddings, seemandham (baby shower), ayushyahomam (1st birthday), sashtiabdapoorthi (60th anniversary) and sadabhsishekam (80th anniversary).
Another plot was purchased to establish “Gnanavapi” in 1983, which is used for performing obsequies to departed souls.
The Sri Ram Samaj also establihed the Sri Sitaram Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School in 1987.
How An Internal Dispute Let The State Enter Ayodhya Mandapam
In 2013, a person who was rejected a membership in Sri Ram Samaj, shot off a letter to the HR&CE department alleging mismanagement of funds by the Samaj.
Subsequently, the HR&CE department took over the Ayodhya Mandapam in January 2014 through an order dated December 31, 2013, citing Section 49 (1) of the HR&CE Act.
This move by the HR&CE Department came on the same day the Supreme Court ruled against the Tamil Nadu government’s control over the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple.
A ‘Fit Person’ was appointed by the HR&CE Department back then to probe the finances and manage the affairs of the Mandapam.
So, technically, the take over of Ayodhya Mandapam by HR&CE did not happen now but in 2014 itself when the AIADMK was in power.
Just like now, the government’s move to take over the Mandapam was resisted by locals. Sri Ram Samaj filed a petition in the Madras High Court against the take over.
The petitioner claimed that the Ayodhya Mandapam was not a temple as no idol was installed as per the Agama Shastra for public worship. Sri Ram Samaj contended that only portraits of Lord Ram, Goddess Sita and Lord Hanuman were present for which poojas were performed.
However on March 31, 2022, the Madras High Court dismissing the writ petition, passed orders that whether the Ayodhya Mandapam is a temple or not cannot be decided in writ proceedings.
Justice VM Velumani who passed the orders noted that it was open to the petitioner to challenge the proceedings of the HR&CE before an appropriate forum.
As the Court did not give an injunction, it became easy for the ruling DMK government to swing into action.
The matter in effect is sub-judice as the Court has neither allowed the HR&CE to proceed with the take over nor has stopped it.
This is how an internal dispute in the Samaj has led to the ‘secular’ state to brazenly enter a ‘religious’ place.
Why HR&CE’s Move Is Illegal
As mentioned earlier, the Ayodhya Mandapam is not a temple built according to Agama Shastras but a community hall used for religious purpose. There is no deity installed as per the Agama Shastra and poojas are performed to the portraits/figurines of Lord Ram, Lord Sita, and Lord Hanuman.
So, the HR&CE prima facie has no locus standi to interfere in the affairs of the Mandapam.
However, the HR&CE has contended that it found idols during the inspection adding that it is a public temple and that the Samaj had been receiving huge amount of money through hundial.
Also, the HR&CE Department had appointed the Executive Officer (EO) of the Baladandayudhapani Temple in Teynampet as the ‘fit person’ to manage the affairs of the Mandapam. T.R. Ramesh of the Temple Worshippers Society has said that the appointment of the EO is invalid as he had no appointment order in the first place.
He also said that a government servant could not be appointed as trustee in the place of sole trustee, and that only a practising Hindu can be.
The Supreme Court’s judgement in the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple Case implies that the government cannot take over a temple without substantial proven mismanagement.
However, HR&CE officials have only taken action based on ‘allegations’ that money was being misused by members for personal use.
Even if the take over has been effected, the government cannot be in control of a Hindu religious institution for eternity. The apex court in the Chidambaram Natarajar Temple case had observed, “Even if the management of a temple is taken over to remedy the evil, the management must be handed over to the person concerned immediately after the evil stands remedied. Continuation thereafter would tantamount to usurpation of their proprietary rights or violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution in favour of the persons deprived. Therefore, taking over of the management in such circumstances must be for a limited period… Supercession of rights of administration cannot be of a permanent enduring nature.”
The Double Standards
Many Hindu devotees and social media activists have questioned what was the urgency for the HR&CE department to take over the Ayodhya Mandapam.
Back in October 2021, the Madras High Court had directed the HR&CE Department to evict the Queensland amusement park from 21 acres of land in Poonamallee belonging to Kasi Viswanathaswami temple and Venugopalaswami temple.
The amusement park owner late ‘Oorvasi’ Selvaraj who also founded the King’s Engineering College, was a former Congress MLA and his wife Nalini Selvaraj is today a prominent Christian evangelist.
Despite the Court’s order, no action has been taken to evict the encroachers from the temple land.
The haste in which the HR&CE has acted to take over the Ayodhya Mandapam while turning a blind eye to the encroachment of Queensland has raised questions about the intention of the ruling DMK.
An Act Of Vengeance?
The West Mambalam area in Chennai is predominantly inhabited by members of the Brahmin community. The DMK’s visceral hatred and targetting of the community is well known.
In the recently concluded urban local body elections, voters of West Mambalam had elected BJP leader Uma Anandan as the ward councillor.
She is the lone BJP councillor in the 200-member Greater Chennai Corporation where a majority of the councillors are from the DMK.
That a Brahmin woman BJP leader has managed to win a seat in Chennai, which is considered to be a stronghold of the DMK is a political angle that is gaining traction.
On April 1, 2022, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi visited the Ayodhya Mandapam to inaugurate the Ram Navami celebrations.
It is apparent that the ruling DMK does not share a cordial relationship with Governor Ravi as they have been at loggerheads ever since he assumed office.
The fact that the Tamil Nadu government’s move came just days after his visit lends much credit to the allegations of political vendetta behind the move.
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