The Madras High Court has directed the Madurai city police to provide adequate and effective police protection for the peaceful conduct of the Thenur Mandagapadi festival. The court observed that public festivals are tests of public discipline and those who gather in the name of faith must remember that the sanctity of the ritual is preserved not by confrontation, but by order, reverence and mutual accommodation.
Justice L Victoria Gowri issued the directive while hearing a petition filed by M Sonaimuthu. The petitioner alleged that during the previous year's festival, certain individuals obstructed temple authorities from conferring customary honours upon the Thenur representatives. The court directed the police to ensure that the joint commissioner and executive officer of Kallazhagar Temple can discharge official duties peacefully and without obstruction during the Mandagapadi.
The judge ordered that customary honours, including Mariyadhai, payment of mandagapadi fees and allied traditional ceremonial observances, shall be permitted to be conferred upon the seven traditional Thenur Karikaarars by their traditional titles.
Preservation of Tradition
The court emphasised the historic connection of Thenur with the Kallazhagar festival, stating that its traditional observance deserves to be preserved with dignity. The honours conferred during the Mandagapadi are not to be viewed as ornaments of personal prestige, but as symbols of continuity, gratitude and inherited responsibility.
The judge observed that the state, the temple administration, the village representatives and the devotees shall act in unison to ensure that the Thenur Mandagapadi is performed peacefully, gracefully and in accordance with custom.
Symbolism of the Vaigai
In a poetic observation, the court stated: "The Vaigai shall not be a witness to discord. It shall remain, as it has long remained, a flowing symbol of Madurai's faith, fraternity and cultural immortality."
The order underscores the court's commitment to preserving traditional practices while maintaining public order and discipline during religious festivals.
