As the country awaits the Pran Prathishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, startling news has surfaced down south in Tamil Nadu. A report in a local newspaper, Dinamalar, states that the Tamil Nadu government has issued verbal orders prohibiting special pujas and annadaan on January 22 across the state. This has left the devotees in a state of shock. 

It is alleged that an emergency order from the Tamil Nadu government’s Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department states, “No special puja, offering of food(annadaan), and any related programmes should be held in Tamil Nadu temples on the occasion of the opening ceremony of Ayodhya Ram temple. No programme should be held on behalf of the temple administration or in the name of devotees, organisations, or parties. It should not be advertised, and no banners must be erected.” 

The report also states that authorities have verbally warned of actions against temple executives if any activities, including annadaan, violate this order. This ban by the Hindu Religious Charities Department of the Tamil Nadu Government has shocked the devotees and left them in disbelief. Reports also suggest that the police are actively preventing the live telecast of the Ayodhya festival through big screens in public places.

Temple activist TR Ramesh posted on his X handle in this regard and called upon the authorities to issue a clarification on this news report.

We urge the authorities of the state of Tamil Nadu to issue a clear and detailed clarification on this matter to prevent confusion or the spread of rumours in society.

Several states in Bharat, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, and Puducherry, have declared public holidays for the event. Central government employees have been granted a half-day holiday to celebrate Pran Prathishtha. 

Even in Mauritius, a 2-hour holiday has been declared on January 22 to commemorate the inauguration of the Ram Mandir. Special pujas are being planned in temples across the country, and live telecasts of the ceremony have been arranged in schools. Notably, Reliance has also declared a holiday on January 22, but the ban on special pujas and annadaan in Tamil Nadu has drawn strong condemnation, particularly from H Raja, a senior leader of the Tamil Nadu BJP. In a post on his X handle, he expressed strong disapproval, highlighting the contrasting situation in Tamil Nadu compared to the nationwide celebration of this historic event. He wrote, “According to Article 26 of the constitution, the state cannot interfere in spiritual/worship matters. So Hindus should ignore the anti-Hindu decree of the Tamil Nadu government and perform pujas and alms. If they block it, we will break the barrier and uphold our religious right and duty.”

A clarification from the government authorities will ensure the quelling of rumours in the state. 

Latest update

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and TNBJP chief Annamalai called out the adharmic actions of the HR&CE department under the DMK government that had allegedly given oral instructions to its officials to not allow any kind of pujas or annadaan or screening of the ceremony proceedings.

In response to this, TN HR&CE minister PK Sekar Babu refuted claims of such bans and wrote on his X handle, ““A planned rumour is being spread to divert the DMK Youth Conference, which is going on in full swing in Salem. The HR&CE Department has not imposed any restrictions on devotees to perform pooja in the name of Ram, give food or offer prasad in temples in Tamil Nadu. It is regrettable that people like Union Finance Minister Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman, who are in a high position, are spreading this completely untrue and intentional false news!”