Mandya (Karnataka), June 2 (IANS) Amid the controversy surrounding Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin’s statement calling for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma, his mother Durga Stalin, wife of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, visited the renowned Nimishamba Temple near Mysuru and offered special prayers in the names of her husband and son.

Photographs and videos of Durga Stalin performing religious rituals at the temple have since gone viral on social media on Tuesday, with many users drawing attention to the apparent contradiction between Udayanidhi Stalin’s earlier remarks and the family’s temple visit.

The temple visit has attracted attention in political circles, as Udayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on Sanatan Dharma had sparked a nationwide debate and drawn criticism from several Hindu organisations and political parties.

Durga Stalin arrived at the Nimishamba Temple in Ganjam, located in Srirangapatna taluk of Mandya district, along with her family members on Monday. She was accompanied by JD(S) MLA, G.T. Deve Gowda, his daughter and son-in-law.

According to sources, the visit coincided with the auspicious full moon day. Durga Stalin performed the traditional ‘Udi Seva’ to Goddess Nimishamba and offered a silk saree, bangles, flowers, fruits and coconuts to the deity.

She also got special devotional offering performed in the names of M.K. Stalin, Udhayanidhi and other members of her family. Temple sources said she spent around 30 minutes offering prayers before the deity. The rituals were conducted by the temple’s chief priest, Surya Narayana Bhat.

The religious ceremonies included Kumkumarchane, recital of Durga Saptashati and Maha Mangalarati, following which prasada was distributed among devotees.

After completing the rituals at the main shrine, Durga Stalin offered prayers at the temples dedicated to Mouktikeshwara, Lakshminarayana Swamy, Surya Narayana Swamy, Ganapathi and Anjaneyaswamy within the temple complex.

Temple staff said she spent considerable time within the premises and participated in the religious ceremonies with devotion. The visit drew the attention of devotees and visitors present at the temple.

It can be noted that Udhayanidhi Stalin had controversially called for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma, stating it promotes discrimination and social inequality. This stance sparked nationwide backlash and legal challenges.

He again called for the “abolition” of Sanatan Dharma during his maiden speech as the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. He stated, “Sanatan Dharma, which divides the people, must certainly be abolished.” He clarified that his stance targets caste discrimination and social inequality, not religious beliefs or temple worship.

Tamil Nadu BJP leader K. Annamalai called out the hypocrisy of DMK leadership over remarks targeting Sanatan Dharma. Referencing Udhayanidhi Stalin’s mother, he challenged the DMK leader: “If you want to eradicate Sanatan Dharma, please stop your mother. Every day she goes to one temple in the morning and one in the evening.”

–IANS

mka/rad