The State government’s plan to construct Vallalar International Centre (VIC) at a cost of ₹99.99 crore on 3.18 acres out of 71.20 acres of land at Sathya Gnana Sabai at Vadalur in Cuddalore district now hinges on the result of two Public Interest Litigation petitions filed in the Madras High Court against the construction on the Peruveli land.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Mahadevan and P.D. Audikesavalu have decided to hear the PIL petitions filed by S. Vinoth Ragavendran of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and K.A. Thamizhavengai during a special sitting on May 10. Temple activist Ranagarajan Narasimhan also had filed an impleading petition for making his submissions too on the issue.
The judges decided to hear the counsel for the petitioners as well as Advocate General P.S. Raman, assisted by Special Government Pleader (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) during the special sitting since it was represented that the government had already awarded the contract for the construction and laid the foundation stone.
According to Mr. Ragavendran, hailing from Cuddalore, Sri Ramalinga Swamigal, popularly known as Saint Vallalar, was born in 1823 and founded the philosophy of Samarasa Sudha Sanmarga Sathya Sangam in 1865. During his lifetime, several people followed his divine philosophy and donated large tracts of land to him.
Saint Vallalar constructed Satya Dharma Salai, for feeding the poor, in 1867 and Satya Gnana Sabai, meant for meditation, in 1872. The rest of the lands were left open as Peruveli and were intended for the gathering of devotees to witness a lamp named Arutperum Jothi, which he lit during his lifetime and continues to glow since then without a break.
Objecting to the construction of the VIC on the Peruveli, the petitioner said, the government could construct it on any public land elsewhere if the intention was to provide international facilities to those who visit the Satya Gnana Sabai but should not build any structure on the Peruveli land owned by the Sabai.
Government’s stand
In reply, the State government told the court that Saint Vallar had authored a book titled Thiru Arutpa Urainadai Paguthi during his lifetime. In that book, under a section titled Kilai Salaigal, he had provided a visionary blueprint for eight distinct service centres at the Satya Dharma Salai located in the property.
He wanted a dharma salai (a dining centre), vaidya salai (healthcare centre), sastra salai (educational centre), upakara salai (home for the elderly), viruthi salai (a centre focused on community development), upasana salai (a place for spiritual gathering), yoga salai (meditation centre) and vivagara salai (auditorium).
Since only two of those centres were established by him, the government had now decided to spend nearly ₹100 crore to construct the remaining six centres as the key component of VIC, which includes a meditation hall, a museum exhibiting the history of Vallalar, an auditorium, an old age home, a digital library and so on.
Though the entire cost of the construction was to be borne by the State government, the property would always vest with the Tiru Arutprakasa Vallalar Deiva Nilayam and no hindrance would be caused because of it to those who throng the site for taking a glimpse of the Arutperum Jothi, the government’s affidavit read.
