Kanchi temple priests clash over chanting hymns

According to the police, the fight broke out during the early morning pooja after priests of Vadakalai sect objected to the chanting of Nalayira Divya Prabandham, a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses praising Lord Vishnu, by the other sect.

“The protest took a violent turn as both the groups started assaulting each other. Following this, cops posted at the temple were called to resolve the issue by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment officials,” said sources.

The issue was sorted out after 30 minutes of negotiations. Later, priests from Thenkalai sect stopped chanting the hymns and dispersed. On information, a tahsildar visited the temple and inquired the priests. The police, however, made it clear that they have not received any complaint regarding the issue.

It may be noted that a similar clash between priests of two sects took place over chanting of hymns during a car procession of the deity on Thirukachi Nambi Street in May this year.