Officials agree not to demolish temple for Metro

CHENNAI: The devotees who thronged the Mallikeshwarar Temple in Ashok Nagar on Monday evening wore a look of silent relief.The shrine, believed to be around 1000 years old, had been under the threat of demolition, to make way for a Chennai Metro station.But intervention by civil society and local advocacy groups seems to have saved the temple.The Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE), which administers the temple, is understood to have reached an understanding with the top officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) that ‘not even a millimeter of the temple would be touched’.The decision to this effect reportedly came after the new chief minister, J Jayalalithaa, asked officials to ensure that no religious structures were demolished in the course of the Chennai Metro construction.The large crowd of devotees that had gathered at the temple for special services on the occasion of the auspicious pradosham on Monday, was treated to a special discourse in Tamil on the impending destruction of the shrine and its eventual escape.While some present credited this to the intervention of Lord Shiva himself, others noted that the devotees who had been visiting the temple for decades, had pressurised the officials against harming the temple.Among those who lent their voices to protect the temple were regular visitors such as AIADMK MLA from Thousand Lights, B Valarmathi and local Corporation councillor of the Congress, Jayakala Prabhakar.“We have all been worried for a long time over the fate of the temple. I come here for every pradosham and have been doing so for years, as I live near by,” said Valarmathi, as she walked out of the temple after offering prayers. She then turned to discuss the issue with the councillor, who had stopped by to have a word with her fellow devotee.“We took up a signature campaign. We presented letters and made representations to the local MLA, VP Kalairajan. We even organised a Rudra Pooja to pray for the temple,” Jayakala told City Express.Temple functionaries and devotees who played a huge role in the campaign, say that officials have even agreed to set up well-lit approach roads to the ancient shrine. “We are not celebrating the fact that the officials have promised not to harm the temple, we are just relieved,” added Jayakala.