About 200 priests block Srirangam road over ritual spot dispute
India
On Tuesday, about 200 priests at Srirangam's Amma Mandapam ghat blocked the road after officials allegedly tried to move them from their usual spots for rituals.
These priests have been performing daily ceremonies like tharpanam, a prayer for ancestors that brings in devotees from all over Tamil Nadu and nearby states.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple stones trigger protest
The trouble started when Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple officials put down measurement stones at the ritual sites, saying the area belonged to the temple.
Priests saw this as a push to remove them and refused to leave even when police tried to talk things out.
The protest held up traffic for about half an hour before officers finally cleared the road.