New Delhi: The Madras high court recently expressed concerns that temples in the state, in particular, one in the Erode district, were becoming the source of law and order disturbances and “ego clashes” among devotees.The observations, made by Justice Anand Venkatesh, came while the court was hearing a writ petition seeking protection for offering worship at the Sri Madurai Veeran, Karupparayan and Kannimar temple at Erode.In a report filed by the tehsildar, submitted to the court by the additional government pleader, it was noted that whenever there was an attempt made to conduct festivals at the temple in question, clashes between various parties ensued.The report also noted that attempts had been made to conduct the festivals in a peaceful manner, through meetings between the various parties, to no avail. As such, it was decided that the temple would remain shut until normalcy was restored.Also read: ‘Idol Depicts Buddha’: Madras HC Asks Archaeological Dept to Maintain Temple, Halts Rituals“This Court is flooded with Writ Petitions of this nature and the Police and Revenue authorities are made to spend their time in resolving the dispute between the parties. A Temple must create an environment to subside the ego of a person and on the contrary it is becoming a breeding ground for clash of ego between persons and God is pushed to the back seat. In such cases, the best course of action will be to close down such Temples so that peace and normalcy is restored in the locality. It is a paradox that closure of a Temple actually leads to peace,” Live Law quoted the court as saying.As such, the court directed the assistant commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments to appoint a fit person to manage the affairs of the temple within a period of ten days. The court noted that doing so would ensure no one feels superior.Further, the court noted that the temple would not be opened until such a person was appointed and that in case of any subsequent law and order problems, the superintendent of police (SP) will take action against the offending parties.“A temple is a place which is reached out by God believers in search of peace. It is believed to be a structure designed to bring human beings and Gods together through worship, sacrifice and devotion. Unfortunately, in many cases, the Temple itself becomes a cause for disturbance and law and order problems and as a result, the whole purpose of a temple is lost,” Justice Venkatesh said.