P.S. KAILASAM, C. J. :- Defendants 2 and 3 in the suit are the appellants in the Letters Patent Appeal. The suit was filed by plaintiffs 1 to 4. They are residents of Kancheepuram and are Thengalai Vaishnavites holding offices in Sri Devaraja Swami Temple. The suit was filed for themselves and as representatives of the entire body of Thengalai Vaishnavites of Kancheepuram, who are office holders and mirasdars of Sri Devaraja Swami Temple. The dispute mainly relates to the namam which the temple elephant should bear. The elephant died on 28-3-1965. According to the plaintiffs, the trustees were making an attempt to get an elephant themselves and introduce it with Vadagalai namam. According to the plaintiffs, the established usage of the temple is that the elephant should have only a Thengalai namam. As the plaintiffs apprehended that the trustees would induct an elephant with a Vadagalai namam, they offered to present an elephant provided it bore the Thengalai namam. They also apprehended that the trustees, who belonged to the Vadagalai sect, might introduce an elephant with a Vadagalai namam and therefore sought to prevent it. The reliefs they sought in this suit were a di