Temples form the centre of dharmikas’ universe in this yuga. Our kings and ancestors built majestic temples to propagate dharma and made them a part of our everyday life. So much so that it is advised to a Sanatani Hindu that one shouldn’t live in a place without any devalayas. Despite holding such an important position in our civilization, many temples that witnessed historical and spiritual events lie in ruin thanks to the inherent dislike and indifference of the secular state. The state continues to exploit the rich affluent temples through various means while not even caring about the existence of some historically and spiritually important temples which are wasting away day by day.
People for Dharma plans to renovate a few such temples as a part of our work. People for Dharma has already started restoring some of the temples as a result of which Hindus from adjacent villages have reached out to us for help in renovating a few more temples. Two 1000 year old temples in the village of Sripuranthan have been cleaned and Nithya Pujas have been started after 35 years. Sripuranthan is an ancient village located on the banks of Kollidam river in Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu.
An inscription in the bigger of the two temples mentions that the village was earlier known as Tribhuvana mahadevi Chaturvedimangalam – must be named after Raja Raja Chola I’s queen, the mother of Rajendra Chola I. Locals state that an inscription found in 2012 (and currently stored in nearby Kumbhakonam) gives information about how these temples were destroyed by Malik Kafur’s invading forces and that they were later restored by Prince Kumara Kampanna of Vijayanagara empire who defeated the Madurai Sultanate and brought an end to the Islamic rule in Tamil Nadu.
The Vedanarayana Perumal temple built by Pallava dynasty and the Narasimha Perumal temple built by Chola dynasty are under HRCE control which didn’t even appoint an archaka for decades. Due to HRCE’s apathy these temples were set to become ruins. After hearing about these temples from the locals, People for Dharma carried out a cleaning drive in the Vedanarayanana Perumal and Narasimha Perumal temples and restarted nitya puja with a traditional archaka who is well trained in Vaikhanasa agama.
Having heard about our work, people from nearby village, Nellithope near Meensurutti, have also reached out to us to renovate Pallikonda Perumal Temple, another 1000 year old temple associated with Shri Nathamuni, predecessor of Sri Ramanuja in Sri Vaishnava sampradaya. Owing to the fact that he recovered the divine compositions of Azhwars, the 4000 Divya prabandham, Nathamuni is considered to be the first among the Acharya vamsa in Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya.
Hindus of Nellithope say that Nathamuni spent his final days in this region and Sri Ranganatha appeared here to give Darshan to the great acharya before he attained Vaikunta Prapti. Even though the temple is said to own more than 400 acres of land bestowed by kings, it has been lying without pujas since 1975.
Another ancient Siva temple in Ananthur, 24 Kms from Kalaiyarkovil, said to be more than 1500 years old was in a totally dilapidated state and needs funds to bring it back to its past glory. Even though some devotees started renovation of the temple in 2018 and have spent Rs.60 lakhs so far, they are short of funds and need 9.35 Lakhs more to complete the remaining work. They have approached us for help which we shall be duty bound to provide.
Baburayanpettai near Kanchipuram has a large Vishnu temple which is in dilapidated state and a Siva temple which has ‘disappeared’ with the murtis of Siva temple (including Sivalinga) being safeguarded and worshipped in the Vishnu temple. Plans are being prepared to re-establish the Siva temple in its original place and to do basic cleaning of the Vishnu temple.
3 more temples in Sivaganga region also await renovation as the locals haven’t been able to collect enough funds. Sri Alankaram Kanda Perumal temple – a 10th century temple – in A.Velankudi village in Sivagangai district, 700 year old Vamana Avatara Perumal temple nearby and Sri Azhagiya Manavala Perumal temple near Paramakudi are also inline for renovation.
People for Dharma is planning to renovate all these temples as per the prescribed traditions. Yes, the state controls most of these temples. But leaving everything in the hands of the secular state will only hasten the decline of dharma since with the closure of temples, the local villagers become easy targets for certain soul-vultures who enter these villages offering ‘spiritual solace’. Temples breathe life into the dharmika lifestyle and it is our duty to keep them alive. The Deities within our temples are living Gods and they ought to be worshipped with due devotion. With the renovation and resumption of pujas in these temples, the light of dharma will shine a little brighter.
While the temples of Nellithope and Baburayanpettai shall be cleared of bushes and basic repair work done to ensure easy access for pujas, the other temples shall be renovated more thoroughly. We are planning to take up this activity as part of our regular work in future – since serving the Gods and their devotees is one of the primary pillars of dharma and through temples, we serve both Gods and their devotees.
We humbly request our dharmika bandhus to donate generously to our initiative in preserving these temples.