Ilaiyaraaja Exited Ardha Mandapa Voluntarily After Unintentional Entry, Say Temple Officials
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Chennai, Dec 16 (NationPress) Officials at the Srivilliputhur temple located in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu have clarified that the esteemed music composer Ilaiyaraaja was not permitted access to the Ardha Mandapa of the temple because it is considered as sacred as the sanctum sanctorum.
The temple administrator released a statement on Monday indicating that entry to the Ardha Mandapa is restricted to priests only.
Furthermore, the authorities mentioned that Ilaiyaraaja had inadvertently stepped into the Ardha Mandapa and chose to leave willingly after being informed of the restriction.
The temple officials firmly denied any claims that the music icon faced discrimination.
It is noteworthy that Ilaiyaraaja, who visited the Srivilliputhur Aandal temple in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar district on Sunday evening, was requested to exit the temple's sacred area by the authorities.
The legendary composer was accompanied by Sadagopa Ramanuja Iyer and Sadagopa Ramanuja Jeeyar from the Sri Andal Jeeyar Mutt in Srivilliputtur.
During his visit, Ilaiyaraaja was present to unveil his composition 'Divya Pasuram'. Together with Sadagopa Ramanuja Iyer and Sadagopa Ramanuja Jeeyar, he entered the garbhagriha, the temple's inner sanctum where the deity is enshrined, when he was halted and asked to leave.
It is essential to mention that the Srivilliputhur Aandal temple is recognized as one of the 108 'divya desams' or sacred sites dedicated to Lord Vishnu in Tamil Nadu.
The temple's historical significance is linked to the tale of the Tamil poet-saint Aandal, who lived during the 7th century.
This renowned composer, who also serves as a Rajya Sabha MP, has made remarkable contributions to Tamil cinema for nearly five decades.
Ilaiyaraaja made his debut as a music composer with the film 'Annakili' and has since captivated audiences in Tamil cinema with his enchanting music.
He is a multifaceted artist: a musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, and playback singer celebrated for his contributions to Indian cinema, predominantly in Tamil.
In addition to Tamil, he has also composed music for films in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi.
Over his extensive career of more than 48 years, he has crafted over 7,000 songs and provided scores for more than 1,000 films, alongside performing in over 20,000 concerts.
Even at the age of 80, he remains an active composer. His upcoming project, 'Viduthalai Part 2', is set to launch on December 20. His appearance at the event was intended to honor the legacy of Aandal.
Following this incident, there was significant backlash on social media asserting that Ilaiyaraaja's removal was unjust, drawing attention to social hierarchy issues within religious spaces.
