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The gods want to hear Tamil hymns, says Moopanar

Tamil Maanila Congress president G Karuppaiah Moopanar has warned of the danger of extremist and communal forces trying to divide Tamil society using the controversy over the language of archana (ritual worship) in temples.

Moopanar said in a statement in Madras that attempts are being made to oppose the conduct of archanas in temples in Tamil on the grounds that the deity understands only Sanskrit.

The Tamil language and religion cannot be separated, he said, and claimed that the gods are eager to listen to the hymns of Alwars and Nayanmars, the Tamil saint-composers.

He said some fundamentalist forces, in the name of a 'temple protection committee', are opposing the conduct of archanas in Tamil.

There is provision for archanas in Tamil as well as Sanskrit. To oppose archanas in Tamil is to create a divide between the people and the temples, he said.

If devotees want the archanas to be conducted in their mother tongue, their wishes should be complied with, he said.

UNI

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