'Go early or walk': Madras HC tells Velliangiri temple devotees seeking separate route for Shivaratri worship

CHENNAI: In a country where faith is widespread, encountering difficulties in reaching places of worship during festive seasons is unavoidable, opined the Madras High Court while refusing to allow a separate route for pilgrims to reach the Velliangiri Andavar hill temple for Shivaratri. The petitioners had alleged that those attending Isha Foundation's Shivaratri celebrations were using the same route as the temple devotees, causing heavy vehicular congestion.

Denying their plea for an alternate route, Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy said, "If pilgrims want to reach the temple without facing any difficulties, they should plan to go early or choose another day, not Shivratri, or they should be ready to walk," he observed.

Petitioners P Saraswathi and AK Rengasamy, claiming themselves to be devotees of lord Shiva, alleged that they were refused of their religious right to visit the Velliangiri Andavar temple in Coimbatore's Velliangiri Hills on Shivaratri night.

For centuries, lord Shiva devotees have been going to the Velliangiri temple during Shivaratri to attend special poojas, they said. But for the last few years, they have been facing huge hardships in reaching the temple as the same route is being used by Isha Foundation followers coming to attend the grand Shivaratri celebrations. They travel by the Coimbatore - Siruvani Road and access the Semmedu village from Iruttu Pallam Junction which is the same route being used by the Velliangiri temple devotees, thus causing severe vehicular traffic, the petitioners alleged.

This situation created difficulties in reaching the Velliangiri temple peacefully to participate in the poojas and darshans, the devotees said.

Further, they alleged that they were facing challenges due to mismanagement on the part of the Coimbatore administration and the police department. There is also the risk of man-animal conflicts as the area is a highly-sensitive elephant habitat, the petitioners submitted.

Hence, they sought to provide exclusive passage for the Shiva temple devotees from Siruvani Road to Iruttu Pallam Junction and an alternate route from Thondamuthur to Narasipuram for the Isha Foundation followers, between February 25 and 27.

Additional government pleader Stalin Abhimanyu objected to the devotees' plea stating that as the pilgrims were not restricted from accessing the hill temple, no separate route could be provided.

The forest department also objected to the plea, saying two traditional routes were already available for the devotees to reach the temple.

To this, advocate M Purushothaman, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that though routes are available, the devotees are facing a lot of difficulties, as Isha Foundation followers were coming in droves in vehicles.

Objecting to the submission, the judge said in a country where faith is widespread, difficulties including vehicular traffic were unavoidable when travelling to a place of worship on a special occasion.

If the devotees want to travel peacefully, then they should reach the spot in advance or opt not to visit during a festive seasons, the judge observed. Otherwise, they should be ready to walk to avoid traffic, he added.

Refusing to allow provision of a separate route, the judge directed the Coimbatore district administration and forest department to make arrangements for the Shiva temple devotees in this regard.