The Tamil Nadu assembly recently mourned the death of five priests who drowned in a temple pond situated in Chengalpattu district. Leader of Opposition Edappadi Palaniswami expressed his condolences and suggested providing a relief fund of Rs 10 lakh to support the priests’ families.
The incident occurred during the Chennai Nanganallur Sarva Mangala Devi Sametha Dharmalingeswarar Temple Theerthavari. The event was held at Muvarasampattu Pond in honor of Panguni Uthra, where 20 temple priests, along with the Sami’s idol, participated in Tirthawari rituals before entering the pond.
While performing the bathing ritual, a priest named Raghavan started drowning. The other priests attempted to rescue him but ended up drowning one after the other, resulting in the death of a total of five priests. Expressing deep condolences, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced each of the five families would receive a compensation of Rs 2 lakh.
During the Tamil Nadu Assembly meeting, all members stood up for two minutes to pay tribute to the five priests who passed away in the Muvarasambat incident. Leader of the Opposition Edappadi Palaniswami brought forward a resolution to draw special attention to the loss of the five priests. He urged Tamil Nadu’s government to drain the temple ponds and grant Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased.
The Hindu Endowment Minister Shekhar Babu responded to these demands, stating that the Kulam Panchayat managed the temple, and the Hindu Religious Charities Department was not notified in advance of the Tirthawari taking place in the temple pool. He ensured that the Tamil Nadu government is ready to provide the requested relief to the families of the deceased priests.
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu assembly condoled the death of 5 priests who drowned in a temple pond in Chengalpattu district. Leader of Opposition Edappadi Palaniswami also insisted on providing relief of Rs 10 lakh to the priests’ families.
Chennai Nanganallur Sarva Mangala Devi Sametha Dharmalingeswarar Temple Theerthavari was held yesterday. This Theerthawari program was held in Muvarasampattu Pond in honor of Panguni Uthra. 20 temple priests along with Sami’s idol entered the pool after the Tirthawari rituals were over.
At that time, when Sami was bathing the idol, a priest named Raghavan was drowning first. The other priests, alarmed by this, tried to rescue Raghavan. But the priests who went to rescue also drowned one after the other. A total of 5 priests drowned in the temple pond. This caused great sadness.
Expressing deep condolences to the 5 people who lost their lives in this incident, Chief Minister M.K.Stalin announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the 5 people.
Following this, as the Tamil Nadu Assembly began today, condolence was expressed over the drowning of 5 priests during a temple theerthwari at Muvarasambat. All the assembly members stood up for 2 minutes and paid tribute.
After this, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Edappadi Palaniswami, brought a resolution drawing special attention to the death of 5 priests. Speaking on this resolution, Edappadi Palaniswami said that the Tamil Nadu government should drain the temple ponds. He insisted that Rs 10 lakh should be given to the families of those who died in the Moovarsampattu incident.
Responding to this, Hindu Endowment Minister Shekhar Babu said the temple was managed by the Kulam Panchayat. The Hindu Religious Charities Department was not informed in advance about the Tirthawari taking place in the temple pool. He said that the Tamil Nadu government is ready to provide the relief requested by the families of the deceased priests.