TIRUCHY : The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has been neglecting the century-old Selva Vinayagar temple in Palakkarai for the last 30 years without undertaking maintenance work, allege devotees and activists alike. Mentioning kumbabhishekam also having not been performed for the same period, they urge the authorities to build a new temple and perform the consecration.
The decades-old temple in Palakkarai houses Lord Dakshinamurthy, Murugan along with Valli and Deivanai, the Navagraha and the office of the executive officer (EO). Over time, the EO office and the roof of the 'Navagraha' mandapam sustained damage due to lack of maintenance. Currently, devotees are not allowed inside the mandapam. The compound wall of the temple also is in a dilapidated state and is urinated upon.
There is little improvement inside the temple too as littering takes a toll and sewage is prone to entering the sanctum during monsoon, devotees said. President of Hindu Temple Recovery Movement (HTRM) P Maheswari said, "This is one of the oldest and most important temples in the area. People used to perform ear piercings and engagement ceremonies in the temple. The last kumbabhishekam, however, was performed in June 1993. After that, the temple was not maintained properly."
Maheswari mentions already having submitted several petitions over the matter with the district collectorate, HR&CE department and its minister. "The temple has several dilapidated buildings that are on the verge of collapse. This scared away devotees from visiting the place. Also, the Vinayagar sanctum went down five feet below the road level. Why are the authorities delaying the reconstruction of the temple even though donors are ready?" she asked.
Tiruchy East MLA Inigo S Irudayaraj, who inspected the temple a few months ago, told TNIE, "I made several efforts to bring the issues to the notice of the department concerned and its minister. But no action was taken." When enquired, a HR&CE department official in Tiruchy told TNIE, "Steps have been taken to build a new temple and conduct the kumbabhishekam. For this, we have held two meetings with donors, devotees and local residents. The work will begin soon."