Vadakalai, Thenkalai sects face off again during Brahmotsavam of Sri Varadharaja Perumal temple

A view of Sri Varadharaja Perumal temple.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ

Tempers flared between the Vadakalai and Thenkalai sects of Vaishnavites at the annual Brahmotsavam of the Sri Varadharaja Perumal temple, one of the 108 Divya Desams, in Kancheepuram on Monday.

A source in the Vadakalai sect said devotees belonging to the Thenkalai sect chanted verses from Divya Prabandam even as representatives of the Thathachariars, who belong to the Vadakalai sect, performed Mantra Pushpam to the utsava idol of Sri Varadharaja Perumal at Gangai Kondaan Mandapam.

During the Brahmotsavam, the idol is brought in a procession to the Gangai Kondaan Mandapam twice daily during which the Thathachariars perform Mantra Pushpam, a ritual of offering tulsi and flowers to the deity, along with chants in Sanskrit.

“It is the right of the Thathachariars to offer Mantra Pushpam while chanting verses from various texts, including the Vedas, the Puranas, and the Stotrapadam, during all pujas conducted daily. The Thenkalaiyars are trying to prevent them from doing so. They began this on day one of the Brahmotsavam. I wonder how eight more days of the festival will be conducted,” said a representative of the Vadakalai sect.

A representative of the Thenkalai sect said the Thathachariars have the right to offer Mantra Pushpam only at the Moolasthanam (the sanctum sanctorum) and, that too, on court orders.

“When they chant, they can chant only verses from the Vedas and not from other texts. Also, there is no official order permitting them to chant at the Mandapam. If they are allowed, so can we. If they stop chanting at the Mandapam, the festival will be conducted in a smooth manner,” he said.

Official sources in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, under whose control the temple is, said they held separate meetings with both groups and secured a promise that they would ensure that the festival went on without any disturbance. “We will ensure that the Brahmotsavam is conducted without any issue,” said an official.