The spirit of the festivities as the image is sanctified in the Muthyalamma temple

The road leading to the entrance of the Sri Muthyalamma Thalli temple was illuminated, in Kummariguda of Secunderabad on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: G. RAMAKRISHNA

There was an uproar of joy inside the corridor leading up to the Mutyalamma temple in Kummariguda on Wednesday as the idol was consecrated amid chanting of slokas and rituals performed by the priests. Two months ago, the temple was desecrated in the early hours of the morning which led to tension in the area. The video showing this act of humiliation led to an escalation of the situation where the police had to stay around the clock for weeks before it escalated.

On Wednesday, there was a heavy police presence inside the local streets of Secunderabad up to the main road near the passport office was packed. The road behind the temple is still blocked by an unused concertina wire.

“The temple looks bigger even though its size has not changed. I am waiting for other devotees to come,” said Lakshmi who has lived near the temple for the past 40 years. “We moved here when I was five years old. I grew up here. It was a difficult time when the temple was destroyed, but I am thankful that it looks better now that there is a clean floor and surrounding area,” he said.

The temple maintained by the family has been replaced by Kadapa stone with red tiles. It also sports a steel grille instead of an iron grille. “We are happy with the change. The dark chapter is closed now,” said a family member who did not want to make history.

“There is no tension in the area. Our job is simply to ensure that peace prevails. The situation was back to normal within two weeks. But we don’t know how long our deployment will take,” said a police officer who closed the barriers behind the temple.