Resaidents of Sakaravalanallur, the native village of the ancestors of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, paid homage to the late leader at the community hall in the village on Friday.
Led by Balu Oyyappan, president of Kalanikudi panchayat, which constituted four villages, including Sakkaravalanallur, men, women and school children offered floral tributes to the portrait of Jayalalithaa and paid their respects.
As they learnt that Jayalalithaa’s great grandmother lived in the village, they paid their homage to the late leader after offering worship at the Aadhi Kesava Perumal Temple, the family temple of Jayalalithaa’s ancestors.
“As Jayalalithaa was remotely connected to the village, we expressed our gratitude and offered prayers for her soul to rest in peace,” Mr. Oyyappan told The Hindu . Iyengars, who had settled in the village, were engaged in farming and the present generation was the offspring of those engaged by them for farm work, he said.
Most of them donated the lands to the tillers and moved away, he said adding the last family recently moved to Madurai. Paddy was cultivated in the village and the present generation owed the lands to the Iyengar families.
Ancestors of former Attorney General of India and Rajya Sabha member K. Parasaran lived in the village and he had built a community hall at a cost of Rs. 24 lakh in the village in memory of his ancestors, Mr. Oyyappan said.
Some of the families visited the village once in a year to offer worship at the Perumal temple, he added.
In another event, students of Municipal Girls’ Higher Secondary School paid homage to Jayalalithaa. A girl held the portrait of the late leader as the students stood in silence and offered their prayers. Paying glowing tributes to Jayalalithaa, school teachers recalled the welfare schemes implemented by her for the benefit of students.
