AMN /
Around 250 Dalit families in Vedaranyam and Karur in tamil Nadu have threatened to convert to Islam as they are being denied entry in the temples, reports New Indian Express.
According to paper 200 Dalit families of Pazhangallimedu in Kallimedu near Vedaranyam, claim they are being denied the right to conduct the temple festival, more than 35 Dalit families in Nagampalli near Malaikovilur in Karur allege that they have been barred from entering the Mahasakhthi Amman temple in their locality, which they claim was built using their contributions.
In Pazhangallimedu, the bone of contention is the conduct of the annual Aadi festival of the HR&CE-run Bhadrakali Amman temple for which Caste-Hindus reportedly enjoy Mandagapadi rights. The Dalits claim that the temple was originally built in their locality and shifted to the current spot after floods several years ago.
“Though we don’t have evidence to prove the earlier existence of the temple, we were told by our ancestors that the temple was in our area. Now, we want the Mandagapadi rights during one of the five days of the festival,” N Senthil, a functionary of a pro-Dalit political party, demanded.