Thanjavur: Art of Living programme held in different venue

Thanjavur: Organisers of 'Vigyana Bairavam', a meditation and spiritual programme of the Art of Living of Sri Sri Ravishankar, shifted the venue of the programme from the Big temple here, to a marriage hall - Cauvery Kalyanam Mandapam - on the Nanjikottai road, following an interim court stay granted by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Friday, on the conduct of the programme.

'Art of Living' arranged the programme at Big temple on December 7 and 8, and put up a stage and pandal in the Praharam of the temple. It became a matter of controversy, and CPI and CPI(M) members staged a demonstration before the Raja Raja Cholan statue near the temple, questioning the permission given to a private organisation for conducting a programme at the Big temple, which is a world -heritage monument under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Police arrested 28 of the protesters. Meanwhile, Madurai bench of the Madras High Court stayed the programme. Following this, the stage and pandal installed in the temple were removed.

Organiser of the programme, Swaminathan, said that the programme will be held at Cauvery Kalyanam Mandapam on Nanjikottai road.

‘Some with vested interest obtained stay’

Expressing anguish over what they alleged that some people with 'vested interest' approaching the court and obtaining a stay on the Art of Living programme at the Big temple here, organisers of the programme, in a statement said that it was the appeal of the Gaja-affected in Vedaranyam and Pudukottai district to Sri Sri Ravishankar to organise a meditation programme which led to the organisation of the programme at the Big temple.

Spiritual discourses are normally held in temples. So, we arranged this programme on Kashmiri saivism at the Big temple, the organisers added.
As the court has stayed the programme at the Big temple, it will be held at Cauvery Kalyanam Mandapam, said the organisers.

They also said that they got permission from the HR and CE department and the ASI for conducting the programme at the Big temple.