Unholy mess: Overzealous Dikshitar priests beat up policemen at Natarajar Temple of Chidambaram

[Ian David]

Black Collar (Orange Robe?) Crime

Unholy mess: Overzealous priests beat up policemen

G C Shekhar, Hindustan Times
Chennai, March 04, 2008

First Published: 00:41 IST(4/3/2008)
Last Updated: 02:53 IST(4/3/2008)

Eleven Priests of the famous Natarajar Temple of Chidambaram town, were arrested for assaulting police officials on Sunday.

Belonging to the Brahmin sect ‘Dikshitars’, the priests conduct pujas in the temple and claim to be its traditional safe keepers. Trouble started when they stopped a Tamil devotee from singing Thevaram Tamil hymns to Lord Siva. The Dikshitars say only Sanskrit slokas can be chanted in front of the sanctum sanctorum.

However, Arumugaswamy, a saivite devotee, had got a high court order directing the temple administration to let him sing Thevaram in front of the sanctum sanctorum. But the temple commissioner had notified police, who were present on Sunday when Arumaugaswamy and his followers arrived.

<snip>

When the saivite started signing the Thevaram, another group of Diskhitars stood in front of the deity preventing him from a darshan. Arumaugaswamy, claimed that since he could not view the deity, he wanted another chance. But when he arrived in the evening, some of his followers got involved in a scuffle with the police resulting in lathicharge after a constable was hit by a stone.

More:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=bd4844d3-5707-4652-8cb9-dbed1bcf44ad&&Headline=Overzealous+priests+beat+up+policemen


Natarajar Temple of Chidambaram




Does ANYONE understand this at all?

[hobbit709]

1. Understand religious nuts?

Religious zealots are all the same, it doesn't matter which religion.

[Ian David]

2. Not really. Some religions are their own kind of nuts.

[xchrom]

3. beam me up scottie.

[kestrel91316]

4. The headline of your OP reads like some schizophrenic's word soup.

Sorry. It just DOES, and someone had to say it.

[Ian David]

5. Maybe this is who stole all of Chechnya's vowels? n/t

[kestrel91316]

6. I think you're onto something there........

[conscious evolution]

7. LOL!

Hindu names and theology is confusing as all get out.