Revenue officials raze temple on encroached Adyar riverbed

Revenue officials, on Monday, demolished an Anjaneyar temple, constructed by encroaching the Adyar riverbed in Varadharajapuram.

Sri Narasimha Anjaneyar Swamy temple, located near Mudichur for the past 25 years, was constructed on 55 cents of land. The revenue officials, during an inspection, found that the temple was constructed on the encroached waterbody and issued notices to the temple representatives a few years ago. With temple authorities not taking any action, it was decided to pull it down.

The devotees were against the order and said they would not allow the government to demolish the temple. Twice, when the revenue officials visited the temple for demolishing it, the devotees protested following which the revenue officials had to postpone the plan.

On Monday, the revenue officials along with the police force headed by the Tambaram Assistant Commissioner visited the spot and started to demolish the temple. Around 20 people who protested and argued with the police were arrested and detained at a nearby community hall.