The Vishwa Hindu Parishad has demanded that the subsidized lands belonging to temples in Tamil Nadu be reclaimed and handed over to the temple priests and that all temples be provided with free electricity.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Dharmapuri District Administrators General Committee meeting was held at Nanda Alli Mariamman Temple premises on Monday and was chaired by District Chairman Udayamoorthy. Also present were District Secretary Sivakumar and Priests Council Administrator Rajamani.
Various resolutions were passed at this meeting. The most important of them was the resolution that the lands that were granted to the temples should be reclaimed and handed over to the respective temple priests. The resolution also passed that the government should take steps to provide free electricity to the temple. The resolution passed at the meeting called for a one-time pooja program in all temples in Tamil Nadu and for proper action to be taken to curb the theft of idols from temples.
In the past, when kings donated lands to the temples the tenants provided fruits, vegetables and grains including paddy in exchange. This helped the livelihood of the temple priests as well. But now the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department pays ₹50 and ₹100, leaving the priests without income.
Similarly, many temples in rural areas are not funded by the HR&CE department. The temples where the deity was worshipped by the Alvars and Nayanmars, do not even have the means to do puja for one period (kaalam). There is a growing demand for the temples to be liberated from government control and handed over to locals and hereditary temple administrators.