Chennai: The Gods are resting. After all those elaborate poojas and expensive yagams seeking votes and victories in the April 24 poll for the Lok Sabha in Tamil Nadu, there is some respite for the priests and astrologers. But not for long as the rituals are expected to start again in about a fortnight with most politicians once again turning to their godmen to propitiate favourite deities to help them hit the winner-tape when the votes are counted on May 16.
Tamil Nadu is home for hardcore atheism authored by EVR Periyar, the father of the Dravidian movement that spawned the DMK. But now almost all political leaders are fierce believers even while proclaiming they are staunch Periyarists. AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa sports no pretensions about her strong faith she was the architect of the free-lunches schemes at temples and renovation of places of worship even during her previous term-and does nothing major without consulting the astrologer and performing special poojas. She receives prasadams regularly from Ganapathi homams done in her name by followers.
Her political mentor M.G. Ramachandran made no secret of his devotion for Kollur Moogambigai and had even presented a golden sword for Amman.
“This Moogambigai temple witnesses the most number of special yagams performed on behalf politicians across India, specially during election time”, says Shelvi, noted astrologer in Chennai. “The Mahachandi Homam is very special in this temple and I am told that it is booked right up to 2020”, says Shelvi, a consultant for DMDK chief Vijayakanth and his wife Premalatha he reportedly played a significant role in patching up the alliance with the BJP and repairing ties with the PMK.
Macho star Vijayakanth must go to Tirumala before elections while Premalatha is a frequent worshipper at Chennai's Kaligambal temple Chatrapati Shivaji had prayed here.
Even the so-called atheist Karunanidhi allegedly has his SUV face the deity at the Krishna temple across the street so that he could unobtrusively take the Lord's blessing, albeit unobtrusively, before driving out his Gopalapuram house. His family is packed with worshipers of the most demonstrative kind, though daughter Kanimozhi insists she is a rationalist.
It's another matter that her mother Rajathiammal consults astrologers and conducts special poojas; she did a lot of that when Kanimozhi suffered the 2G shock.
The famous Thiruverkadu Karumari Amman is the favourite deity for Rajathiammal, besides the Anjaneya at Alwarpet in central Chennai.
Karunanidhi's daughter-in-law Durga Stalin regularly prays at the Bhudasthalam temple in her native Thiruvengadu, where Agoramoorthy, the destroyer of enemies and dispenser of power, is the presiding deity. A regular at many temples, she was spotted recently in the famous Arunachaleswarar shrine at Thiruvannamalai while accompanying husband Stalin on his grueling election campaign.
