Dalit residents of Melpathi village near Villupuram enter the Sri Dharmaraja Droupadi Amman temple after it was reopened for public worship on Thursday
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Nearly 22 months after the Sri Dharmaraja Droupadi Amman temple in Melpathi village near Villupuram was closed due to persistent tensions between caste Hindus and Dalits over the latter’s entry, the temple was reopened on Thursday (April 17, 2025) amid tight police security.
The temple was sealed on June 7, 2023, by the Villupuram Revenue Divisional Officer, with the administration stating that the ongoing situation between the two caste groups over worship could potentially lead to serious disturbances.
The temple, located on government poromboke land, has been under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department for the past 45 years. The HR&CE Department took over the administration by appointing a Temple ‘Fit Person’ (Thakkar) on April 12, 2023.
However, one section of both the temple administration and village residents continued to discriminate against Adi Dravidars and prevented them from entering the temple. Following this, the temple was sealed on June 7, 2023.
After 22 months, the temple was reopened on Thursday, following the Madras High Court’s direction to permit worship at the temple. The court had previously permitted the conduct of daily puja alone by a priest to be nominated by the HR&CE Department.
On the High Court’s directions, a team comprising police and revenue officials opened the temple for worship at around 6:15 a.m. Usually, the temple is opened for worship from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. daily.
Caste Hindus oppose entry of Dalit residents
While over 100 Dalits from Melpathi offered worship at the temple, which remained open beyond the stipulated time of 7 a.m. on the first day, the caste Hindus collectively decided to offer worship on Friday (April 18) by performing rituals to the presiding deity. They claimed that the Revenue Department authorities had unilaterally decided to reopen the temple on Thursday.
The caste Hindus also opposed the entry of Dalits into the temple and raised slogans, triggering tension. However, the police brought the situation under control.
Welcoming the High Court’s direction to reopen the temple, Ezhumalai, a Dalit resident, said that he was very happy to offer worship to the presiding deity after 22 months. Most of the Dalit residents prayed at the temple on Thursday, he said.
An official said that they had been monitoring the situation in Melpathi, and a huge posse of police personnel has been deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
Published – April 17, 2025 11:50 am IST
