Karunanidhi is known as an atheist. He had said that there is no God and he was the follower of great Tamil leaders Periyar and Annadurai, who too did not believe in God. He started following Periyar from the young age of 14 and joined the Justice Party, which fought hard for Dalit rights and anti-Hindi agitation campaign.
DMK chief and former Tamil Nadu CM Muthuvel Karunanidhi died on 7 August. Here is why Tamil Nadu leader was buried and not cremated.
Karunanidhi is known as an atheist. He had said that there is no God and he was the follower of great Tamil leaders Periyar and Annadurai, who too did not believe in God. He started following Periyar from the young age of 14 and joined the Justice Party, which fought hard for Dalit rights and anti-Hindi agitation campaign.
Kalaignar belongs to the Isai Vellar caste. According to his family traditions, the body should have been cremated. But as he never followed any religion or religious practices, while following Periyar and Annadurai, DMK members and his supporters wanted Karunanidhi buried just like the two leaders.
Periyar was buried at Thidal at Vepery in Chennai. But the tradition of burying former CMs and great leaders of Tamil Nadu on the Marina beach started with Annadurai, mentor of Karunanidhi, with a memorial that was also built for him.
Apart from Anna, even former CM of Tamil Nadu, MG Ramachandran (MGR) was buried and a memorial was built for him at Marina Beach. When Jayalalithaa died, even her body was laid to rest beside her mentor MGR.
But Karunanidhi's death, arguments arose about him being buried at Marina eventhough he is not the CM.
But Karunanidhi's family and DMK supporters fought the legal battle, and the Madras high Court finally gave permission to bury Karunanidhi on Marina beach. There lies Karunanidhi's buried and not cremated according to his beliefs or or rather non-beliefs.
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