The Madras High Court bench on Monday ordered notice to the Hindu Religious and Charitable endowment Commissioner among others on a PIL seeking repair of a damaged lingam at an ancient Lord Shiva temple at Sivapuram near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu so that prosperity would return to the shrine.
Petitioner KS Jayakumar, a local priest, submitted that the lingam of the famous Sri Sivagurunathaswamy temple had suffered damage after the sanctum sanctorum was struck by thunder several years ago.
The Shiva lingam had been worshipped by Saint Tirugnana Sambandhar, who lived in seventh century AD.
The architecture of the temple is so well designed that the sun rays would fall directly on the lingam on three days in the Tamil month of Chithirai.
A prashnam by an astrologer recently revealed that the lingam should be repaired for the prosperity of the village, the petitioner said and sought a direction to repair it.
Justices Rama Mohana Rao and SS Sundar directed the HR and CE officials to file their counter in eight weeks.
