After two rounds of peace talks, the Gounders finally agreed to allow everyone, irrespective of their caste, into the temple for worship.
On Wednesday, District Collector Prabhushankar and the Superintendent of Police E Sundaravathanam took the Dalit people inside the temple. (Creative Commons)
The Kaliamman temple, located at the Veeranampatti village near Kulithalai in the Karur district of Tamil Nadu, was reopened on Wednesday, 21 June.
It was sealed by the district administration for not allowing Dalits from the village to enter.
The reopening came after upper-caste Hindus agreed to allow the Dalits to enter it for worship.
On 8 June, the Revenue Department officials of Karur district locked the Kaliamman temple after the dominant Urali Gounders in the village opposed the entry of the Scheduled Caste people into the temple, which is built on the government’s poramboke land.
Following the sealing, District Collector T Prabhushankar held talks with representatives from both communities.
According to sources, the collector was firm about removing the seal only after the dominant community agreed to allow the oppressed community into the temple for worship.
After two rounds of peace talks, the Gounders finally agreed to allow everyone, irrespective of their caste, into the temple for worship.
Subsequently, an assurance was collected in writing from the representatives of the Gounder community and the temple authorities.
On Wednesday, District Collector Prabhushankar and the Superintendent of Police E Sundaravathanam took the Dalit people inside the temple. Worship rituals were subsequently conducted.
However, a section of people from the dominant community did not enter the temple when the Dalits were inside.
Prabhushankar told reporters that in order to maintain equality, a compromise was arrived at between the two communities and the decision was taken unanimously.
On 7 June, a Dalit youth named P Sakthivel entered the Kaliamman temple to worship the goddess on the occasion of the Visakam festival, which was being celebrated there for a week.
However, the temple priest and administrators allegedly manhandled Sakthivel and threw him out.
Following this, Sakthivel petitioned the district authorities regarding the discrimination and sought action against the people who forbade the entry of Dalits into the temple.
Upon receiving information, the Revenue Department and police officials went to Veeranampatti to hold talks with the upper-caste Hindus.
Citing their age-old custom, the Urali Gounders remained steadfast in their decision to not allow Dalits inside the temple.
Following this, Revenue Divisional Officer Pushpa Devi locked and sealed the temple.
Condemning the move, the dominant community protested in various ways, including shutting down shops in the region and halting traffic.
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