Villagers seek govt support to maintain 300-year-old temple

CHENNAI: Every first Sunday of the month, villagers of Vengampakkam, belonging to the Agaram Then village panchayat, 40 km south of Chennaiassemble on thepremises of the Vengeeshwar temple. Not to worship the main deity, Shiva, but to mobilise money to pay the salary - Rs 2,500 - of K Srinivasan, the chief priest of the 300-year-old temple.

Located off the Vandalur-Kelambakkam High Road, the Shiva temple is the only ancient temple worshipped by the 200-odd families living nearby. Villagers from neighbouring villages such as Rathnamangalam, Kandigai, Mappadu and Kasapapuram also visit the temple regularly. Nearly 90% are farmers who cultivate crops themselves without employing labourers. For the farmers, the temple is the source of their prosperity, which brings good rainfall every year followed by a bountiful harvest. Paddy is the main crop here.

Jayachandran, E K Damodharan, a petty shop owner, and S Karnan, a lorry driver, were the catalysts in renovating the temple in 2003. The temple was then covered by thick vegetation and there were poisonous snakes, too. The three had a tough time convincing other poor farmers in renovating the temple.

Most farmers here eke out a miserable existence by cultivating small plots of farmland. But that did not stop Jayachandran, Damodharan and Karnan to organise a meeting of villagers near the old Panchayat Primary School on a Sunday in May 2003. Their hope turned to reality after about three hours of arguments between those who supported renovation and others who wanted more time. Soon, contributions began to pour in with everyone doing their bit. While some gave their hard-earned money, others brought bricks for the main temple construction. A few helped build the compound wall. The village carpenter S Chakarapani did not take any money to make the eight-foot wooden door for the sanctum sanctorum. He spent his own money to get wood from Kumbakonam. Almost all the villagers helped in the construction of the temple as well as a store room, taking turns to work.

The villagers then engaged a priest to conduct poojas. They now want a shelter for the Nandhi statue made up of stone, which stands before the main deity, and also a shelter for devottees. The temple does not have an electricity connection. An external wire has been tapped for power. "We want the government agencies or other donars to help us maintain the temple," says B Saravanan, a farmer and the local DMK functionary.

Sources in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department told TOI that it would be difficult for them to take over the maintainance of the temple as they were cash-strapped. "It is better the villagers try to mobilise local funds to maintain the temple. We have our own limitations," they said.

Source: TOI