CHENNAI: After a
dalit priest renovated a century-old
Amman temple with the help of philanthropists and youngsters in Puthur in Trichy, a section of the residents wanted him to be out of the temple. He, however, earned the respect and love of majority of the residents in the locality for bringing a new lease of life to the dilapidated temple.
The 34 year-old priest,
K Sivasankaran, a native of 94 Kaiyamanickam village that is 30km from Trichy, was instrumental in the restoration of the 13th-century temple, which is under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department since the mid-80s. The area is dominated by castes like Naidu, Vellalar, Mutharayar, and Reddy.
Dalit priest renovated a century-old Amman temple
The economics graduate from Periyar EVR Arts College in Trichy was one among 206 people to have completed the one-year course offered by the HR&CE following the then DMK government’s order enabling people from all castes to become priests, while also offering them job guarantee.
After remaining jobless for two years, he received a call from the then joint commissioner of Sri Rangam temple S Balasubramanian. He offered him a temporary job as the priest in Amman temple on a daily wage of Rs 30.
Amman temple renovated by Dalit priest with the help of philanthropists and youngsters in Puthur in Trichy
He joined the temple in April, 2010. Within six months, he along with village elders and youngsters revived the temple. Hitherto, the temple was locked for nearly four decades since the 70s following a dispute between two groups over the temple management.
In 2014, the residents of Puthur went to Sivasankaran’s village to attend his father’s funeral and learnt about his caste. Since then, the people became indifferent towards him. “After learning about my caste, a group of the residents started to find fault with me and wanted me out of the temple. But the elders and youngsters respected my dedication and accepted me. Hence I continue to be in the temple,” he said.
Dalit priest, K Sivasankaran
“I decided to join the course to end the age-old oppression on caste line and also get a decent government job. People are coming out of the old practices and caste hierarchy,” said Sivasankaran.
D Thirugnanasambandam, 71, one of the village elders and who retired as a lab assistant from EVR college in Trichy, said that they accepted the temple priest “wholeheartedly” and as "one among them". “Kumbabishekam was conducted on July 1 this year, after 77 years, with all religious fervour. People participated in large numbers. I was given the responsibility. It is a sign of the people’s acceptance of his caste,” he said.
Priest K Sivasankaran was instrumental in the restoration of the 13th-century temple
