COIMBATORE: Troops of bonnet macaques in and around the hilltop Othimalai Murugan Temple near Sirumugai have become a menace for devotees.
The ancient temple dedicated to Lord Murugan can be reached only after climbing a steep flight of 1,880 steps that goes up a 3,000-foot high hillock located in Irumborai Panchayat near Sirumugai. During the climb and descent, these monkeys pester the devotees, often lunging at them in a bid to grab the edible items they carry for self-use or for offering to the deity.
Most devotees keep a long stick to chase away the simians. "The bonnet macaques tried to snatch banana and coconut that we were taking to offer to the deity. They pester us as we take rest while climbing the steps. They disturb us all along these steps," said a devotee, S Thangaraj.
Devotees find it difficult to have snacks as they rest midway. There have been a few incidents when dominant male bonnet macaques attacked children and snatched their food when they were climbing the steps.
Even flowers that devotees carry to offer the deity are not spared.
A temple staff said "there were only a few bonnet macaques five years ago but it has increased tenfold over the years. They hinder daily temple activities, enter the sanctum sanctorum and sit over the Nandhi statue.
"We have been forced to close the garbhagriha even during the worship time. The macaques damage the electrical wires and drinking water pipelines. They consume food that is under preparation or offered to the main deity," said another staff.
A woman shopkeeper narrated the trouble posed by these monkeys. "They snatch food and snack items that are kept for sale at shops functioning on both sides of the entrance to the temple."
The Sirumugai forest range staff have yet to take steps to capture the animals even after the temple authorities, devotees and shopkeepers complained to the forest department about the menace.
However, sources in the forest department said that the hillock comes under the reserve land of the revenue department and they have already written to the state government to convert it as a reserve forest.
"The hillock is a habitat of the bonnet macaques. Capturing them in the forest is not feasible. We can create awareness among devotees not to dump food waste along with plastics," said the official who agreed that the population of the bonnet macaques comes to a few hundreds.
Bonnet macaque is a monkey species endemic to south India. These arboreal and terrestrial animals however spend much of their time on the ground.