Chennai, June 26, 2013: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is a difficult person to understand and impossible to predict her moves. She takes neighbouring Karnataka to Supreme Court on Cauvery water, donates laptops to girl students to encourage scientific temper (stamped with her picture) and then invokes gods to bring rains. The rain gods are being worshiped in major temples across Tamil Nadu with the Jayalalithaa government seeking to invoke divine blessings for bountiful showers in the drought-hit state. Tamil Nadu is facing acute scarcity of water for drinking and irrigation, and the short-term kuruvai paddy crop cultivation is under threat due to near empty Mettur Dam across Cauvery river, the government has asked temples to conduct special prayers and yagnams for rains. 

These special prayers began on June 18 in major temples under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR and CE) department. "For want of rains, we have been organising the special prayers in over 200 temples across Tamil Nadu since June 18. This will go on till July 1," said HR and CE Commissioner P Dhanapal. In Chennai, the special prayers have been held in the temples of Gangadeeswarar in Purasawalkam, Kalikambal in George Town, Vadivudaiamman in Tiruvottiyur and Kapaleeswarar in Mylapore. Dhanapal said special prayers would be offered in various forms since every temple follow its own tradition. "Some go for yagnams alone, some would offer Gayathri Japams or Varuna japams. It depends on the tradition of these temples." A report from Rameswaram said 'Varuna japam' was conducted by the priests of famous Sri Ramanathaswamy temple at Sethumathavar sub-temple by standing in knee-deep water and reciting mantras. Temple Joint Commissioner A.Selvaraj said varuna japam was being organised in big temples on the instructions from HR and CE Commissioner.
 

Source: One India News, DT. June 26, 2013.