The Hindu : Coimbatore administration caught on the wrong foot

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 04, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Coimbatore administration caught on the wrong foot

By Our Staff Reporter

A priest, wearing sandals with nails, stepping over devotees during a ritual at a temple at Poochiyur, Coimbatore.

Coimbatore March 3 . The annual ritual at a temple here in which the priest, wearing sandals of nails, walks over women, has once again sparked an outrage. For the practice that may well leave the women with medical problems, though it is actually observed in the belief that it cures ailments. The ritual, in connection with Mahasivarathri at the Poochiyur temple, near Periyanaickenpalayam, is cause of concern to the administration.

Only recently, did burying children alive at a temple at Perayiur near Madurai stir up a hornets' nest. That practice has now been banned by the Government.

"Now, walking over women also deserves to be condemned. It cannot be accepted in any civilised society," says a woman activist, who says her forum is planning to move court.

But the administration feels that its hands are tied up, as not a single complaint has been made against the practice so far. When contacted, the Collector, N. Muruganandam, said the administration had already referred the incident to R. Dhinakaran, Superintendent of Police, Rural, for an enquiry.

The ritual originally began among the women of a particular community as a cure for infertility. Now, women from all communities participate, viewing it as a remedy for every other ailment.

In fact, after much effort, the administration and the police curbed "Mayana Vettai", practice by a particular community of ransacking a burial ground and biting bones as part of Mahasivarathri. The community had contended that graves were not dug up, and what it did was only a symbolic act.

But, in the face of protests from various sections, police pickets have now been posted at graveyards to prevent this ritual. The community still contests the ban, saying its "right to worship", guaranteed by the Constitution, is denied. But the administration is of the view that one's rights should not disturb others or spark an outrage.

Medical risk

As for walking on women devotees, the local villagers argue that only the wooden sole of the sandals touches the women while the priest's feet rest on the nails; hence no harm would come to them. However, medical experts dispute this claim, asserting that the very act of stepping on persons, lying prostrate, and exerting pressure on the spinal area will pose a potential risk of paralysing them.

According to health officials, the priest's weight could inflict irreparable injury and render immobile the lower limbs of the devotees. Even as the villagers point out that two persons support the priest so that he could step over the women lightly, the medical fraternity says the risk is still not ruled out. As the height of the women varied, the support lent to the priest cannot be sustained evenly and at frequent intervals he will step on some devotees, exerting pressure. And, in the process, he may also step on the cervical area of the women.

Like the administration, the medical fraternity also points out that there are no complaints even if an injury is caused. "What can we say if the gullible victims believe that the injury itself is divine punishment," asks a neurologist.

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