Priests block road in Srirangam
Priests at the Amma Mandapam bathing ghat in Srirangam staged a protest against temple officials attempting to measure and potentially reclaim their ritual spaces. The demonstration caused a temporary traffic disruption before police intervened.
Why it matters
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between traditional religious practitioners and temple administrative authorities regarding land use and professional rights.
Priests, who perform rituals and pujas at the bathing ghat at Amma Mandapam in Srirangam, on Tuesday staged a road roko on Amma Mandapam road, protesting against the reported move to remove them from the facility.
There are about 200 priests, who visit Amma Mandapam daily, to perform rituals on behalf of their clients. The priests perform rituals at their respective bases at the mandapam, which attracts hundreds of devotees across the State and neighbouring States to offer ‘tharpanam’ to their forefathers.
According to sources, the officials of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple had brought a large number of measurement stones and placed them at the bases of the priests a few days ago. The officials reportedly attempted to measure the area, claiming that it belonged to the temple.
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