Monday, August 1 2005 20:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: Kanchi Mutt Seer Jayendra Saraswathi, who was prevented from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram last month to perform puja, today (Aug 1, 2005) asked the Tamil Nadu Religious Endowments department to furnish him with any Government Order (GO) preventing him from entering the most sacred place.

Notices to the department and the commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, sent on behalf of the Seer by his advocates said, 'My client calls upon you to furnish forthwith any Government Order that has been issued with the object of preventing the Shankaracharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam from performing and exercising his rights and privileges in the temples of Tamil Nadu".

The Seer wanted to know how, in the event of no such instructions having been issued, he was prevented from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple on July 14 last without the sanction and authority of the State.

In the notice, the Seer told the authorities concerned not to prevent him from exercising his rights and privileges, both customary and otherwise and thereby ensure that the sanctity of the temples and rights guaranteed under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution were not violated.

He said as a result of the alleged arbitrary and illegal instructions given to the temple authorities, he had been deprived of exercising his lawful right, which had been recognised for several centuries.

"The unlawful actions have caused untold agony, pain and hurt to the innumerable devotees of the Mutt.'