Two employees of Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department have been sacked for consuming alcohol and eating meat within the premises of the temple in Cuddalore district.
A video of the two HR&CE employees of Kolanjiappar Temple in Manavalanallur village, sitting and having liquor and meat in the temple premises went viral on social media.
In the video, one of them can also be heard saying, “Here, have some deer curry”.
Due to the curfew put in place to contain the Wuhan virus pandemic, only the staffs of the HR&CE department and the temple priests are being allowed to perform regular worship and cleaning work in the temples. Thought the government has allowed smaller temples to open for public worship, footfalls have been low. Taking advantage of the situation, some of the temple staff have been making merry by drinking alcohol, eating meat and smoking inside the Kolanjiappar temple. It was even reported that these employees were urinating and defecating within the temple premises.
Senthilvelan, the Joint Commissioner of HR&CE has sacked the 2 employees – Sivarajan and Sivakumar.
It is to be noted that cows, deer and peacocks are being raised in this temple. There were more than 20 deer. However, it was reported that there are only 10 deer present now. The temple administration says that the others have died.
Now doubts have arisen if whether these deer really died or were they killed to be consumed as meat.
Recently, two officials of the HR&CE department working in the Dhandayuthapani Swami Temple in Palani were suspended for consuming alcohol in the temple premises.
The Kolanjiappar temple located near Vriddhachalam is a temple dedicated to the Hindu God Murugan. The temple is associated with Sage Sundarar, one of the 63 Nayanmars. It is said that Sage Sundarar had come to Vriddhachalam during his old age and sang in praise of Vriddhagireeswarar. Lord Shiva pleased with the rendition wanted to listen to the song again. He sent his son Lord Murugan in the form of a hunter to the Kolanji forests were Sundarar was residing. The hunter took away the belongings of Sundarar and asked him to come to Vriddhachalam. Knowing that it was a divine play, Sundarar came to the Vriddhagireeswarar temple to sing in praise of Lord Shiva again. Lord Murugan set his abode in the Kolanji forests as Kolanjiappar.