News Tamil Nadu

Dravidian Model: HR&CE EO Of Madurai Dhandayudhapani Swami Temple Says Money Offered By Devotees In Archaka’s Plate Should Be Put In Hundi Or Action Will Be Taken, Order Retracted After Backlash

February 10, 2025
The Commune

The Executive Officer of the Arulmigu Dhandayudhapani Swami Temple of Madurai has issued an diktat mandating that the money offered by devotees in the Archaka’s plate should be put in the temple’s Hundi/Hundial.

In a circular issued on 7 February 2024, the Executive Officer who is an official of the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department has said that the Archakas should not take the money put in the aarthi plate for themselves but should deposit it in the Hundial.

“Appropriate action will be taken on Archakas who do not deposit the money offered on the plate in the Hundial.“, reads the circular.

Temple Activist TR Ramesh said that devotees or the Archakas can file a complaint with the police that the HR&CE executive officer of the temple is acting fraudulently in this temple without any valid appointment order. He also said that an injunction can be obtained from the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court prohibiting the executive officer from operating in the temple without a legal order.

Following the backlash, the order was retracted saying that the executive officer acted unilaterally without consulting the temple’s ‘Thakkar‘.

The clarification put out by HR&CE Department said that since the salary is fixed and paid on a periodic basis, the tradition of depositing the offerings made by devotees into the temple account has been going on since the beginning.

This is not the first time such an order has been passed by an official of the HR&CE department.

Earlier in October 2024, the HR&CE department issued a statement reinforcing that all contributions made by devotees at the Kuzhandai Velappar Temple in Kodaikanal are to be deposited in the temple’s bank account and should not be used for personal use by any staff member. It was reported that three staffs were appointed to oversee whether the devotees are offering money in the hundial with CCTVs being placed to keep an eye on the archakas. Apparently the HR&CE resorted to this move, after reports surfaced alleging that priests at the Kuzhandai Velappar Temple were pressuring devotees to place their offerings on the archanai plate instead of the hundial.

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