‘Invisible fear’ on faces of priests, temple staff in Chennai, claims T.N. Governor

A Raj Bhavan post on social media said Governor R.N. Ravi visited the Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple in Chennai to offer prayers, and found that the temples here “exude a sense of acute repression” in contrast to “the festive environment in the rest of the country”

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi | Photo Credit: KUMAR SS

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Monday, January 22, 2024 visited Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple in Chennai and later claimed there was a “pervasive sense of invisible fear and apprehensions writ large on the faces of priests and temple staff.”

A Raj Bhavan post on social media said, he visited the Sri Kodandaramaswami Temple in West Mambalam, Chennai (which is under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department) and offered prayers to Prabhu Sri Ram for the well-being of all.

“There was an all pervasive sense of invisible fear and apprehensions writ large on the faces of priests and temple staff. A stark contrast to the festive environment in the rest of the country,” the Governor claimed.

According to him, while the entire country was celebrating the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla, the temple premises in Chennai “exude a sense of acute repression”.

It may be recalled that on Sunday, January 21, the Tamil Nadu government and Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) P.K. Sekarbabu rejected Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s charge that the State had imposed a ban on special pujas in temples on Monday, the day of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya.