Officials from the Revenue Department and the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, (HR and CE) accompanied by the police, on Monday removed the board announcing the restriction of devotees from offering worship at the Kanakasabhai mandapam at Sri Natarajar temple in Chidambaram.
The Pothu Dikshithars, the hereditary custodians-cum-archakas of the temple, had put up the board in front of the mandapam announcing that devotees would not be permitted to offer worship from atop the mandapam for a few days in view of the Aani Thirumanjanam festival. The Dikshithars claimed that the system of restricting devotees from climbing the Kanakasabhai mandapam during important festivals had been in place since time immemorial.
Speaking to reporters, G. Chandrasekhar, legal counsel of the Dikshithars, said the HR and CE Department of the Tamil Nadu government was trying to take over the administration of the temple by resorting to various measures over the past one year.
The officials removed the board with police security, he said, adding the State government had been misusing the police machinery to settle scores with the Dikshithars. “We believe in Lord Nataraja and the courts and will face the issue legally,” he said.
