The residents of Gollarahatti at Gerumaradi village in Tarikere taluk have closed two temples in their locality following the entry of a Dalit into their habitat. Kambada Ranganatha Swamy and Thimmappa temples will remain closed until the rituals of purification are conducted, according to the residents.
Maruthi, an excavator operator from M.C. Halli, who belongs to a Dalit community, visited Gollarahatti on January 1. He was hired for loading work at a house-demolition site. As the residents learnt about his entry, they closed the gates of the temples. A few residents allegedly assaulted Maruthi for entering the habitat. He filed a complaint against 15 people in this regard on January 2. The Tarikere police have registered a case under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and arrested one person, Shankar. The rest are absconding.
When The Hindu visited the place on Thursday, both the temples were shut. A team of police officials led by Tarikere Dy.SP V.S. Halamurthy Rao visited the village for mahazar proceedings. As the police vehicle reached, men and women were seen hurriedly going inside their houses and shutting the doors.
Around 130 families belonging to Golla community reside at Gollarahatti, part of Geramaradi village, about 5 km from Tarikere town. Besides them, Lingayats and Bhovi families reside in the village.
For years, the Golla people claim that they do not let people from Dalit communities into Gollarahatti. “This is followed in all Gollarahattis. People in the neighbouring village know about this. They do not enter our habitat,” said a woman who wished not to be named. As part of the custom, all families join the rituals and take the deity to Kallathagiri, about 23 km from Tarikere, for Ganga puja for “purification.” Only after this will regular puja resume.
“We are not planning the ceremony in the near future as many people keep visiting the locality. Now anyone can walk in. Once all the developments regarding the complaint are over, we will conduct the rituals,” said one of the residents.
The residents claim that no one assaulted Maruthi for entering the habitat. “He might not know the custom being followed in the habitat. One person argued with him because he cut the TV cable while taking the excavator on the street. Only later did we learn that he belonged to Madiga community. As per the practice that we have been following for years, we closed the temples until the purification is done,” said a local.
“There have been occasions when people entered the locality with no knowledge of the custom and ended up paying the cost incurred for the purification. If they refuse to pay, we contribute and bear the expense,” another resident said.
When Minister was barred
A. Narayanaswamy, Union Minister and Lok Sabha member of Chitradurga district, was denied entry into Gollarahatti at Pemmanahalli in Pavagada taluk in September 2019, because he is a Dalit. The conduct of the villagers attracted criticism, and a week later, the residents gave him a grand welcome.
