Thiruvananthapuram: Devotees of Kerala’s Sarkara Devi temple have gone to the Kerala High Court with a simple demand — evict the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from the temple’s premises.
A writ petition filed in the high court alleges that some men who claim to be members of the RSS have been illegally encroaching on temple premises, conducting mass drills and training members on how to fight with weapons on temple grounds every evening between 5 pm and 12 am.
The petition goes on to say that their activities disturb the peace of the temple and scare off devotees and visitors. It also said that the “unpleasant smell” and repeated use of “tobacco products like ‘Hans’ and ‘pan masala’ within the temple premises” affects the “cleanliness, purity, and divinity” of the place of worship.
According to the petition, the men — who claim to be RSS members — have been causing “mental stress, agony and loss of calm atmosphere required to be maintained during meditation and offering prayers” at the temple.
“We haven’t received any official notice on this, and so we haven’t filed an affidavit either,” said RSS state secretary P.N. Easwar. Adding, “We’ve looked into the matter, but can’t comment further at this stage.”
“We have no problem with them using the temple grounds,” said 68-year-old G. Vyasan, one of the two petitioners, referring to the alleged RSS members.
“But the way they use it is disrespectful.”
Vyasan visits the temple every day and said he used to see the drills daily. Those conducting the mass drills use sticks and have, what he describes as, ‘mock fights’ on some days. But largely, he said, they loiter on the temple premises and generally cause a disturbance after drinking alcohol and consuming tobacco.
The drills, conducted on land right behind the temple, which has been cordoned off with chains and a makeshift barrier of rocks, have stopped since the writ petition was filed on 20 June.
A former secretary of the temple, Ajay Kumar, told ThePrint that the men conducting the drills had built the barrier themselves. They wouldn’t allow any other devotees or visitors to use the space and would gather around 5 pm and spend the rest of the evening there, drinking into the night, he alleged.
ThePrint saw empty bottles of liquor, torn packets of tobacco, and what looked like firecracker shells on the temple premises.
“Those men come and shout ‘Jai Shri Ram’ all the time. I don’t understand why, this is a Devi temple!” said one devotee, underlining that the Sarkara Devi temple’s deity is Bhadrakali.
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‘Saw them fighting, conducting drills’
The Sarkara Devi Temple is one of the main attractions of the town of Chirayinkeezhu, located about an hour from Thiruvananthapuram.
Technically, the temple land belongs to the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), an autonomous body that manages around 1,200 temples, including the famous Sabarimala temple. The TDB had previously issued a circular in March this year to all temples they oversee, instructing them not to allow mass drills and other such activities organised by the RSS on temple grounds.
The latest circular, issued on 18 May 2023, said that strict action would be taken against those Devaswom officers who don’t follow it.
But in Chirayinkeezhu, RSS functionaries ignored the circular and continued using temple premises — which is why locals have now turned to the courts.
RSS members named in the petition have allegedly been strong-arming their way into the temple and bullying authorities with their henchmen. The temple grounds have become the local hangout spot for RSS members from across the Thiruvananthapuram district, according to Kumar.
“It’s hard to identify every single member, but there are usually at least 20 people who come and loiter here,” said Kumar. “They’ve even cordoned off part of the grounds and say no one can use it but themselves. I have seen them fighting each other with sticks, and conducting their drills with sloganeering.”
One devotee said he has seen these men using sickles and other such “weaponry”, and said that women and children have complained about the fear of being attacked in the evenings.
“The RSS wants to keep the temple under their control, but they have no legal grounds to do so,” said advocate Rajendran, a local of Chirayinkeezhu. A longstanding member of the community, Rajendran filed the writ petition after several people appealed to him for help. He is co-counsel for the case along with advocate Nikhil Sankar, a Kochi-based lawyer.
The RSS have been using the temple premises for years, and have ignored several entreaties to stop, according to Rajendran. “It’s because they haven’t stopped that the community has decided to take this step,” he said.
This is an issue across Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, and Pathanamthitta, according to Rajendran. In Chirayinkeezhu, both temple authorities and local police have reportedly warned the men to stop such activities at the Sarkara Devi temple.
On Wednesday, the standing counsel for the TDB told the high court that they propose to install a gate on temple premises to ward off such activities.
Sarkara Devi temple’s significance
The famous Sarkara Devi temple is a popular destination for devotees in southern India. The large grounds there are home to two elephants and several stray dogs, and locals often use the premises as a community space.
Even on a sleepy weekday afternoon, boys were playing cricket in one part of the grounds, while others chatted beneath the temple’s large trees.
The decision to cordon off the space at the back of the temple is what has rankled most community members.
The temple became prominent in 1748 when the King of Travancore, Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, began to conduct the Kaliyoot festival at the temple. Legend has it that the Travancore ruler stopped to rest at the spot while on his way to annex the kingdom of Kayamkulam — an exercise in futility, as he had failed to conquer the kingdom on several previous expeditions.
But this time, he prayed to the Chirayinkeezhu deity to help him win the war and promised to offer the year’s harvest to her if triumphant. He won, and thus began the Kaliyoot festival.
Originally practised only in northern Malabar — situated to the north of Travancore — the festival goes on for nine days and includes dramatic representations of Bhadrakali’s victory against the demon Dharika.
The queens of Attingal were entrusted with conducting this annual festival, which takes place between February and March — during the Malayalam month of Kumbham — when the year’s first harvest is offered to the Goddess Bhadrakali. The Sarkara Devi temple also hosts the festival of Meenabharani.
The temple has another claim to fame amongst locals: it was a favourite spot of Chirayinkeezhu native Prem Nazir, the famous film star who shaped Malayali cinema. Nazir has also donated an elephant to Sarkara Devi temple.
“Everyone visits this temple — not just Hindus, but Muslims and Christians, too,” said Kumar. “This temple is open to all, and should remain so. The RSS has no right to declare the space as theirs.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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