Devotees oppose plan to demolish 800-year-old Temple in Erode

Devotees and local residents have expressed shock and distress over alleged structural damage and blocking of access to the historic 800-year-old Agasthiswarar and Agathiyaperumal Temple, located near the Electric Loco Shed in Kollampalayam’s old Railway Colony.
A resident Sakthivel said: Believed to date back to the Pandya era, the temple land came under Railway control after British rule. Railway employees, pensioners, and local residents have worshipped here for generations.
Without prior notice or providing an alternate path, the access route was blocked under the guise of building a boundary wall. Small shrines for guardian deities Muniyappan and Angalamman were demolished.
Sacred trees used for religious vows—including Punnai, Rudraksha, Vilvam, coconut, and the ‘Bala Maram’ (associated with child-blessing vows)—were uprooted, leaving no space even to circumambulate the temple.
Devotees alleged that anti-Hindu activities and harassment intensified after a new officer took charge as Senior Section Engineer (SSE/WORKS, Erode). They claimed he has been obstructing traditional worship and making disparaging remarks.
As per survey records (Ward E, Block 29, Town Survey No. 60), the temple premises measure approximately 23,000 sq. ft.
Devotees and locals have appealed to senior Railway and government authorities to intervene immediately, restore proper pathway access, allocate the 23,000 sq. ft. area as per survey records, and protect their fundamental right to worship without disrupting communal harmony.