VILLUPURAM: After years of seeking protection from their 'kaaval deivam', residents of Gengarampalayam village are now working to rescue their guardian housed in the century-old Vengai Muthumariamman from being torn down.
The National Highways Authority of India officials announced their decision in November 2022 to demolish the temple in a bid to expand the Chennai-Nagapattinam highway. Meanwhile, the locals hatched a plan. They pooled in Rs 10 lakh to relocate their deity, situated in the Valavanur taluk. In two months, the temple would be uprooted and shifted 61 feet towards the village area.
The temple authority was compensated with Rs 25 lakh ever since it was planned to be demolished, said official sources. With Rs 10 lakh and this compensation amount, residents have begun work to relocate the temple. The entire process thus, cost Rs 35 lakh, sources said.
"Even though they gave money, we were not happy to allow the demolition of the temple. The deity in the temple is our 'kaaval deivam' (deity believed to be the protector), and demolishing it will bring bad omen to us. So, we decided to uproot and relocate it," said S Marimuthu, a resident.
Measuring about 21-feet-wide and 50-feet-high, the temple was uprooted by a Bihar-based private engineering company. A 35-year-old civil worker at the site said, "We first dug the ground around the temple premises and dug a pit around it. Then, using over 40 hydraulic levers, we lifted the entire structure upto 3 feet."