CHENNAI: Devotees, spiritual leaders and leaders of Hindu outfits today came together and staged a protest demonstration here demanding lyricist Vairamuthu to apologise for his alleged controversial remarks against Goddess Andal.
Spiritual leaders, including Sriperumbudur Sri Appan Jeeyar, and devotees said the lyricist had offended Andal and them by making remarks allegedly against the goddess.
The well attended stir, held at Chepauk, saw devotees, spiritual leaders and those belonging to Hindu outfits making a demand that Vairamuthu apologise in front of the famous Sri Andal shrine at Srivilliputhur, near Madurai.
Hindu Munnani leader Rama Gopalan, Right wing ideologue RBVS Manian were among those who participated.
Andal, the only woman among the 12 revered Vaishnavite saints hailed as 'Alwars' in Tamil, is also venerated as a Goddess and a gifted poet in view of her classic Tamil work 'Thiruppavai,' in praise of Lord Krishna.
According to spiritual texts, she lived in the eighth century AD in Srivilliputhur.
Thiruppavai is a celebrated work in spiritual Tamil literature and is also part of the Vaishnavite "Divya Prabhantham (a collection of verses respected as sacred and in praise of Lord Narayana)." In his address at a literary event at Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu, Vairamuthu recently spoke about Andal and it was also published in a Tamil daily.
It led to outrage among devotees, who alleged that the lyricist had offended the Goddess and them conversely by making inappropriate and objectionable references to her.
Devotees had staged protest demonstrations in several places and police complaints have also been filed against the lyricist, following which FIRs were registered against him, including Chennai.
The name of the editor of the daily was also mentioned in the complaints with police.
Vairamuthu, in a statement, had claimed that he used the reference to Andal only in a positive connotation as that of the original authors of research work from which he had quoted.
"Thamizhai Aandaal" (Andal ruled over Tamil) was my tribute to Poet Aandal, celebrating her contribution to Tamil," the lyricist had said.