The late CM Jayalalithaa had a special bond with Srirangam that she had called it her home during one of her manifestos for the election. Her ‘ancestral’ home in the name of ‘Komala Vilas’ located on East Chithirai Road in Srirangam was the site of attention on the day of her demise.
“They moved away many decades ago. Her grandfather was called Diwan because he used to work for the Mysore Maharaja. The ancestral house has changed many hands,’’ said Vardarajan, a priest at the main temple complex and also the current occupant of the house.
Though the family that’s currently living in that house is not related to Jayalalithaa, a lot of people had walked in their house to give their condolences on hearing the news of former CM Jayalalithaa’s death. “Since 2011, our house gets occasional visitors. Some take pride in taking pictures by standing in front of the house,” said Varadharajan.
The very day of her death brought back a lot of memories of Amma amidst the Srirangam residents. Her work towards empowerment of women and the poor was most praised. “She did a lot for the upliftment of women community through the social welfare department. No one can overtake her. From the first time I saw her during the 2011 election, I couldn’t forget his smiling face”, said, L Suseela, resident of Srirangam.
Yet, there is no solid evidence to prove that it’s her ancestral house. It was brought to spotlight only when she once claimed that her family lived in the temple town before moving to Mysore. That is how people believe that Amma’s Tamil identity was rooted in Tamil Nadu.