Ever you heard a society prohibited to recite poems in their own language at their own soil? Yes it happens only in Tamilnadu.Dikshidars of Chidambaram Lord Nataraja temple made it and the victim is Tamil. They are against to recite Devaaram, Thiruvaasagam (The popular Tamil devotional poem penned by the saivaites like Appar, Sundarar and Maanikavaasagar) at Thiruchitrambala Sabha near Sanctum sanctorum.
Who are Dikshidars
Dikshidars of Chidambaram belongs to subsect of Iyer/Brahmin called Choliyal, who are considered to be one of the oldest Pancha-Dravida Brahmins. The term “Pancha- Dravida” Brahmins itself of probably 19th century origin and about them no documentation even in the sangam literature .The classification term choliyal may be due to their prescence in Chola territories.
“Thillai moovaaiyiram” (The three thousand persons of Chidambaram) gives the belief that three thousand Brahmins including Lord Shiva were asked to come to Chidambaram by early chola kings to take up positions of priests in the temple of Shiva in Chidambaram.There is no similarity between these Brahmins and the Brahmins who are living other places of Tamilnadu, their appearance also entirely different from rest of Brahmins. These people keeps “purve Sikha” at the right side of their fore head as like as Namboodries of Kerala.They pray in Sanskrit during pooja but rest of times their conversation will be in Tamil only.
There are many contradictions over their marriage, they don’t marry with other Brahmins of Tamil nadu but only among them. Because of their lack in population
and to retain their hereditary assets they marry their brother or sister in laws, henceforth they are suffering with many health problems including genetic disorders, some of them became lunatic owing to their marriage between much closed blood relations.
They are called as “Thillaip pani ellai thaandaathu” (they don’t do anything out of their premises) but due to their activities they have crossed all their limits hence government of Tamil Nadu issued GO to stop their rogue activities. People of Tamil nadu evidents that Dikshidars are using the temple porch as their nightclub to play cards and to drink, Prime tower as their place for prostitution, converted temple pond as the secrete place to hide murdered bodies. Recently due to their internal politics they have murdered co-Dikshidar and the case registered in High court, Chennai.
Few centuries ago Nandan a saivaite devotee from the lower caste entered via south tower of the temple to sing Tamil devotional song but dikshidars did not allow him to go and burnt alive, they have also closed south entrance and keeping it as the icon of untouchable wall, even today it remains the same.
Seven years ago Arumugasamy Odhuvar (An 80 years old saivaite devotee used to sing Tamil devotional songs), tried to recite Tamil devotional hymns at thiruchitrambala sabha(also Chitsabha) opposite to “Sanctum sanctorum” but he was assaulted and his hand cracked viciously by dikshidars. Even then he filed a case against priests, but the court did not favor him also rejected the request of singing Tamil devotional hymns near Sanctum sanctorum. The priests directed that samy could sing at the temple premises but not at chitsabha.
Arumugasamy did not slack determination and was continuously tried to perform Tamil hymns legitimately. After his innumerable efforts, eventually (four years ago) he approached Mr.Raju an advocate from Human Rights Protection Committee (HRPC) Cuddalore district, Tamil nadu. HRPC is a sociable movement of People’s Art and Literary Movement (PALA), a State Organizing committee (SOC) of Marxist-Leninist Communist Party. The main schema of PALA-HRPC is to fight against Brahminic Fascism and Recolonization, the major threatening to new democratic India, they have accepted Arumugasamy’s request because its not mere the case against human rights but the Brahminic Fascism of untouchability and language discrimination.
Due to non-stop legal approaches of comrades from HRPC and PALA, high court Chennai announced that it all depends on getting permission from Hindu Religious and Charitable endowments (HR-CE) department of Tamil Nadu, but Dikshidars told that the temple wholly belongs to them and HR-CE has no Locus standi there.
On 29th February of this year secretary HR&CE department, Tamilnadu ordered that Arumugasamy or any Tamil aficionado irrespective of castes could narrate tamil hymns at Chitsabha after main pooja. On the very next day, with an order of HR&CE, comrades from HRPC, PALA – its comrades-in-hand and Viduthalai Chirutahigal Katchi (VCK) tried to enter into the temple but only 25 members were allowed into the temple by SP but Dikshidars opposed the entry vehemently and attacked some of the comrades and senior police personnel.
Among the bewilderments, Arumugaasmy and co entered near Chitsabha, meanwhile around 50 dikshidars came with oil and ghee in their body and also started to decant oil on floor and closed all the doors inside the temple to make confusions among the devotees. One of them attacked Arumugasamy violently and broke his spectacles as a bonafide rowdy. Even though Arumugasamy entered Chitasbha and started to recite Tamil devotional hymns, they have started to make noise so that they have prevented the sound of Tamil hymns to enter into the Sanctum sanctorum, some closed Shiva’s big ear against listening the sound. Arumugasamy and comrades not given a sufficient time to narrate Tamil hymns but it made them as their stepping stone against Brahminic Fascism.
Chidambaram town police registered a case against dikshidars for attacking policemen and then arrested 10 among them for assaulting policemen but not for their action against HR&CE order.
Meanwhile dikshidars believed that the visit of Arumugasamy Odhuvar and his supporters has polluted the shrine and started to wash Chitsabha and Sanctum sanctorum, a large number of priests have performed unusual cleansing pooja soon after they emerged out of the temple. The subtly poisoned content of Brahmin owned presses like Hindu, Indian Express, Thuglak, Dinamalar, Kalki, and Dinamani spewed venom and stand testimony to the long arm of Brahmin oligarchy to influence and formed public opinion, played a regressive role in confusing public.
On the same day evening comrades tried to enter the temple to recite, none of them allowed to enter by police and made a lathi charge, finally they arrested Arumugasamy and some 34 comrades from HRPC and PALA.The issue spread nook and corners of Tamilnadu and public gnashed their teeth for dikshidars stringent action. Political leaders like Mr.Marudhaiyan from PALA, Thol.Thirumaavalavan from VCK, Dr.Ramadoss from PMK raised their condemned voice against dikshidars. The very next day government of Tamil nadu warned dikshidars, the custodians of Nataraja temple, legal action if they prevented anyone from reciting near Sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Because of GO the public and comrades from HRPC and PALA tried to recite, they anticipated prevention from priests but they welcomed with garlands. Its all because of their panic about activist’s and public’s appeal to reassign all authority of governing temple under the control of HR&CE department.
Next day Arumugasamy entered the temple and the mass of dikshidars greeted with thiruneeru and garlands but he refused their greetings and told them they don’t need their warming, only wanted to worship lord and to recite Tamil hymns at Chitsabha and showed him as a self –esteemed person.
Whatever the consequences will be, the people of Tamilnadu want,
· To transfer all the authority of governing temple into HR&CE department Tamilnadu, because all major remunerable temples of TN including Madurai Meenakshi amman temple, Palani murugan temple and Thiruvannaamalai Shiva temple are under the control of HR&CE.
· To demolish the wall approaching towards south entrance as a symbol of Nandan’s untouchable wall.
· To take stringent action against the murder of co-dikshidars and for the theft of temple jewels.
சதையும் எலும்பும் நீங்க வெச்ச தீயில் வேவுதே!!!! 