Close to the infamous Veerappan territory in Sathyamangalam, there’s a burst of activities in a village square at 8.30 a.m. The young and old make a beeline for a temple, a huge structure with an imposing gopuram facing the local Mariamman temple. Prakash, 19, the local poosari (priest), is busy performing the sudhangam pooja. But listen carefully to mantras he recites and you can hear the name ‘Gandhi’ instead of a God’s. Welcome to Senthampalayam, perhaps the only village in India which has a temple of the Mahatma. For the last 11 years, the villagers have been praying at this temple where the main ‘deity’ is the two-foot tall idol of Gandhi and in another enclosure that of his wife Kasturba Gandhi.There are idols of gods and goddesses too like Durga, Ganesha, Murugan, Anjaneya, Mahalakshmi, Saraswathi, Saneeswaran and the Navagrahangal. But it is Gandhi and Kasturba who hold the prime place.What is interesting is that there was no protest from the devout when the idols of the gods were placed like guards at the entrance of the enclosures of Gandhi and his wife. While black stone idols of Ganesha and Durga are placed like sentinels outside the marble-and-tile enclosure for the black stone idol of Gandhi, goddesses Saraswathi and Mahalakshmi stand guard outside Kasturba’s room. The temple has been named the ‘Thesapidha Mahatma Gandhi Annai Kasturbai Thirukoil’ (Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi Mother Kasturbai Temple).Like the Mariamman temple opposite, three special poojas are conducted everyday at 8.30 a.m., 12 noon and 6 p.m. in the Gandhi temple. On special occasions like Gandhi Jayanthi and his death anniversary, the purohits, Prakash and his older brother Kannan, perform abhishekams with the ‘holy’ water from the nearby Bhawani river, and even milk, tender coconut water, honey and haldi are used.For the villagers, it has become a routine to pray at the Mariamman temple and then at the Gandhi koil (temple). “We change Gandhiji’s angavasthram and the towel every day. There are 30 sets and the local dhobi launders them every month. Similarly, colourful sarees of Kasturbai are also changed every day. It is a collective initiative and everyone pitches in with enthusiasm,” S R Palani, the village kaarigaikarar (elder), told The Sunday Express.It was Subramania Vaiyyapuri, a Gandhian, who was the prime mover for the temple. “Gandhiji was instrumental in getting freedom for us. The country has seen so much progress since. We have to show our gratitude to him in some way,” said Vaiyyappur, a textile merchant in Erode, who hails from Senthampalayam. In 1996, he got the village panchayat to pass a resolution for building the temple. The entire village hailed the idea and donated generously. “We collected Rs 10 lakh and built the temple,” said S S Arumugam, the village gounder (head).The temple is well-lit in the night. A chariot, parked inside, awaits a smaller idol of Gandhi, which the villagers hope to take in a procession around the village like they currently do with idols of gods on special occasions. “We are searching for a sculptor who can make a smaller idol of Gandhiji,” said Vaiyyapuri. At a time when only a handful of the old Gandhians idolise the Father of the Nation, Senthampalayam has set an example.
