Tamil Nadu: Two Historic Temples Saved From Demolition For Chennai Metro

The Tamil Nadu government and Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) assured the Madras High Court that the Kaliamman Temple and the Sundara Varadaraja Perumal temples in Virugambakkam area of Chennai would not be demolished for constructing a metro line.

The CMRL would now opt for re-alignment of the said metro line.

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) had issued a notice of demolition to the Kaliamman temple last month and an executive engineer of the Corporation had written to the police asking for adequate police protection for executing the demolition.

Temple activists and organisations like Aalayam Kaapom and Hindu Munnani protested against the demolition order. Three Public Interest Litigations (PILs) were filed in the matter.

Later, it came to light that the land on which the temple was situated had been recorded as an 'encroachment' and this was being used by the Corporation to demolish the temple.

According to temple activist Gouthaman, all the temples that are located in poramboke lands (wastelands) as per government records could be at risk of demolition unless the Hindu Charitable and Religious Endowments (HRCE) department changes their classification.

The Sundara Varadaraja Perumal temple is believed to have been constructed around 800 years ago during the Chola period.