more-in “Archakas (temple priests) are doing only mechanical work and not divine service,” is how Justice R. Mahadevan of the Madras High Court expressed his anguish on Tuesday when it was brought to his notice that priests of the famous Kapaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore near here had failed to care about the original idol of a peacock with flowers in its beak, representing Lord Shiva’s consort Parvati, missing from the temple since 2004. Presiding over a Division Bench along with Justice P.D. Audikesavalu, the senior judge also questioned why the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department officials were “keeping mum despite knowing fully well” about the original idol having been replaced. To this, Special Government Pleader S.P. Maharajan replied that the Idol Wing CID was already inquiring into the issue. The judge pointed out that the original idol of the peacock gains significance in view of the fact that the entire area of Mylapore had been named after the Tamil word Mayil meaning peacock. As per a legend, Lord Shiva’s consort Parvati had worshipped him in the form of a peacock. She was believed to have used the flowers of Punnai tree for worship and therefore the temple originally had an idol of a peacock with flowers in its beak. Wrong replacement However, during the temple’s consecration in 2004, the idol was replaced by another, holding a snake in its mouth, according to a public interest litigation petition filed by Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam. The petitioner had claimed that the peacock idol with the snake could only be found in temples dedicated to Lord Muruga and never in a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Arguing his case in person before the Bench, the petitioner contended that by replacing the idols, the temple management had committed blasphemy and were liable to be prosecuted. “The very faith of the devotees has been tinkered with for the last 14 years,” the petitioner said and sought a direction to initiate necessary action against the officials besides making arrangements for the installation of a new idol with a flower in its beak.

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