Dalits of Thenmudiyanur village in Tiruvannamalai entered the village temple dedicated to Goddess Muthalamman for the first time in 70 years after the temple was built.

The temple is controlled by the government through the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HRCE) department.

According to a news report, the village consists of 1700 families of which 500 belong to Dalit communities.

Every year, after Pongal, each community (except the Dalit community) in the village is given a slot to perform their rituals.

This year, the district administration intervened and ensured the entry of Dalits to the temple so that they could perform rituals like other communities.

According to political commentators, it is a major failure of the government as the temple is under the HRCE department.

In December 2022, the district administration led by the Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP) had to intervene to ensure temple entry of Dalits of Vengaivayal village in Pudukkottai.

This comes after a video of a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader, T Manickam, abusing a Dalit youth for entering a temple went viral. Manickam had said that he had scolded the youth because he was drunk while entering the temple.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu: Collector And SP Facilitates Temple Entry For Dalits In Pudukottai; BJP Leader Says, 'Failure Of Dravidian Model Of Social Justice'