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Sanctuary in the sanctum sanctorum
V.R.V.R.
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The Meenakshi temple was a refuge for freedom fighters.
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The deity adorned with jewellery donated by the British.
NESTLED IN in the busy street, at a stone's throw away from the imposing St. Mary's Basilica, is Meenakshi Temple whose construction was said to have begun 13 days before work on the Basilica commenced. Local lore has it that the Meenakshi idol was found while digging the foundation for the Attara Kacheri. The idol was shifted to the present location and a Shivalinga brought from Kashi. Both were consecrated and a temple was built for them. This makes it the oldest Meenakshi-Sundaresan Temple in the country outside of Tamil Nadu. Later, an idol of Durga was shifted from a temple in the ASC Centre. Along with this were brought jewellery, including a kaasu malai that bears the East India Company's seal, a trident made of silver, and a golden saradu, all donated by the British.
But this is not all to the temple. It was also a hiding place for freedom fighters. C. Chowdappa Deekshith, who was the priest in the early '20s, took part in the freedom struggle along with prominent activists such as K. Kannan, G.V. Challam, and Y.K. Rajagopal. When this group went underground to evade arrest, Chowdappa Deekshith gave them asylum in the garba griha of the shrine. Kannan, Challam, Rajagopal, Govindaraj, and Palani Velu used to meet here frequently and Chowdappa Deekshith was their main informer.
Chowdappa Deekshith's two sons, C. Sundaresha Deekshit, and Krishnamurthy Deekshit, are looking after the temple now. Every Monday, special pujas are performed. For a fortnight beginning with Mahalaya Amavasya, special alankaram is done for the main deity, which is adorned with the jewellery presented by the British.
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