As Row Kicks Up in Tamil Nadu Over Ban on 'Pattina Pravesam' Ritual, a Look at the Ceremony & Controversy Around It

The decision of a revenue divisional officer to ban the centuries-old practise of carrying a mutt head in a palanquin in a ritualist procession has sparked outrage in Tamil Nadu.

The ?Pattina Pravesam? rite in Dharmapuram Adheenam in Mayiladuthurai district sparked outrage among rationalists, causing the RDO to ban the ritual, alleging human rights violations and law and order issues.

The Tamil Nadu BJP has claimed ulterior political motives behind the DMK regime banning the religious event, and the 293rd pontiff of Madurai Adheenam Sri La Sri Harihara Sri Gnanasambanda Desika Swamigal stepped up to defend the ritual, saying ?he was willing to give his life to ensure the ceremony was carried out?, according to reports. Taking a look at the controversy and its various aspects:

What is the Pattina Pravesam?

Pattina Pravesam, which literally means ?entering a city,? is a centuries-old ritual in which willing devotees carry a deity or a pontiff atop an adorned palanquin. According to some, the original goal was to honour the pontiff who arrived in the city, said a report by Times Now.

The pontiff must be borne in a silver palanquin in the Dharmapuram Adheenam Mutt?s rite. After the death of his predecessor, Srilasri Shanmuga Desiga Gnanasambanda paramacharya Swamigal, the current pontiff, Srilasri Masilamani Gnanasambanda paramacharya Swamigal, took over as the Dharmapuram Adheenam on December 13, 2019. He was carried on a palanquin to mark his taking charge as Pontiff. On December 24, 2019, a similar ?Pattina Pravesam? was organised at the Dharmapuram Adheenam in Vaitheeswaran Kovil, near Sirkazhi.

Dharmapuram Adheenam one of the oldest Shaivate mutts

Meanwhile, Aadheenam is a Tamil word that denotes both a Shaivite mutt and its head. The word?s plural form is Aadheenams.

The event, that was originally scheduled to be held on May 22, was subsequently banned by the government. Dharmapuram Aadheenam is in Mayiladuthurai district in the Cauvery delta region and it is one of the oldest Shaivite mutts in Tamil Nadu.

What did the latest ban say?

The ban order was issued on April 27 by Mayiladuthurai RDO J Balaji, but it laid no restrictions on the ceremony being performed without the seer being carried in a palanquin, said a report by the Times of India. The ban comes in the wake of a recent visit to the Dharmapuram Adheenam by R N Ravi, the governor of Tamil Nadu.

Following concerns from the Dravidar Kazhagam and other fraternal organisations, the order was issued. The Deputy Superintendent of Police provided to the district administration a synopsis of the organisations? cautions that allowing pattana pravesam would lead to law and order issues. The proceedings of the Collector?s weekly law and order review meeting were also taken into account when the prohibition order was issued, said a report by the Hindu.

In his ban order, the RDO cited Article 23 of the Indian Constitution. “Traffic in human beings and begar [compulsory labour] and other similar forms of forced labour are prohibited and any contravention of this provision shall be an offence punishable in accordance with law,” it stated.

The Dravida Kazhagam and other organisations had reportedly taken issue with the conduct of the Thiruvavaduthurai Adheenam Gurumahasannidhanam, a Saivite Mutt based in the town of Tiruvaduthurai in the district?s Kuthalam Taluk, during the month of February, while cautioning the district authorities against allowing the event.

How have religious representatives reacted?

Vaishnavaite Guru Mannargudi Sri Sendalangara Jeeyar has reacted strongly to the ban, sending a ?warning? to ?Dharmdrohis? and ?Deshdrohis?. ?Pattina Pravesam is a religious ritual. Nobody has right to stop this. It is done by followers of the mutt. I, as a Mannargudi Jeeyar, warn these ?Dharmdrohi? and ?Deshdrohi? for their anti-Hindu works. If they interfere with Hindu beliefs and temples, none of the ministers of this Government will be able to walk on road,? he said.

Sri La Sri Harihara Sri Gnanasambanda Desika Swamigal said the ritual was ?voluntarily where pupils carry their guru on their shoulders? and appealed to chief minister M K Stalin to intervene and permit it. He compared the ritual to the oath-taking ceremony during the swearing-in of the CM. ?In that case, this custom should be banned too.?

He urged K Veeramani, the leader of the Dravidar Kazhagam, not to oppose such religious rites. According to reports, mutt staff say the custom, being followed for hundreds of years, does not have people carrying the palanquin from any particular community and that they considered this service to the Lord.

Political opposition to the ban

The BJP?s state unit chief K Annamalai said even during the previous regimes of the DMK, led by late chief minister M Karunanidhi, the ?Pattina Pravesam? event of the mutt, Dharmapuram Aadheenam had taken place periodically. ?Did Karunanidhi ban such events?? he asked. ?The government should show respect to Aadheenams. The ban should be withdrawn. Otherwise, the BJP will conduct the event by defying the government ban. We are prepared and there is no second opinion about it,? he told reporters here in a press conference.

?This government is disrespecting the gurus and intimidating the mutts. The government should give up this dangerous game,? Annamalai alleged. The authorities citing Article 23 of the Constitution on forced labour (to ban the event) is not at all applicable to this religious event, he said.

A view expressed by a pontiff of a Sri Vaishnavite mutt decrying the government ban showed that Hindu spiritual leaders have been hurt by the Tamil Nadu government?s move, he said answering a question.

?My appeal is that Chief Minister M K Stalin should preside over the event and it is his duty. He is the Chief Minister for people professing all faiths. Let him demonstrate that he is secular and that he respects all religions,? the BJP leader said.

To a question on political motives behind the ban, Annamalai recalled the recent visit of Governor R N Ravi to the mutt and his convoy coming under ?attack? and later, the alliance parties of the ruling DMK in that region ?speaking ill? about the pontiff.

Only following such a sequence of events the ?Pattina Pravesam? event (carrying the guru on palanquin in a procession) was banned by the government, he said. ?Everybody knows that there is a political reason in the matter. The people?s question is why the government should intervene in an age old custom and ban it.?

With inputs from agencies

Read all the Latest India News here