Putting an end to the raging debate on language, the government of Tamil Nadu stated that the consecration [Kumbabishekam] of Thanjavur Brahadeeswara temple will be conducted in Tamil and Sanskrit.
The Madras High Court was hearing a bunch of petitions which were filed related to the consecration. While one petition sought the ceremony be conducted in Tamil, another petition demanded a stay on the event since it is mandatory to obtain permission from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The ASI, however, responded that it had granted permission to the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments [HR & CE] Department to conduct the consecration ceremony albeit with 15 conditions. Meanwhile, the government of Tamil Nadu through the HR & CE Department submitted to the court that it will conduct the ceremony in Tamil and Sanskrit.
The petition seeking the consecration to be held in Tamil and Sanskrit was filed by Senthilnathan, a resident of Thanjavur and a Naam Tamilar party functionary, who stated that the temple was built over 1100 years ago by the great Tamil king Raja Raja Chola. In his petition, he said that the authorities had decided to conduct the event without chanting hymns in Tamil and that his letter to the officials regarding this is yet to be answered.
A few days ago, DMK President MK Stalin had urged that the entire ceremony be held in Tamil instead of Sanskrit, which sparked a huge debate. In his statement issued on January 18, Stalin said that the temple was a symbol of the Dravidian architecture and hence the Kumbabishekam must be conducted in Tamil.
Responding to this demand, Tamil Nadu Minister for Tamil Official Language and Tamil Culture Mafoi K Pandiarajan had said that while there is no doubt that priority must be given to Tamil, the demand to conduct the ceremony in Tamil has come from a small section of people.
The temple’s consecration ceremony was last held in 1997 and is scheduled to be held on February 5, 2020.