Temples must remain under HR&CE Dept. to protect their wealth, archaeological valuables, says Minister

To protect the wealth and archaeological valuables in temples, they must be under the control of the State’s Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE), said HR&CE Minister P.K. Sekar Babu here on Friday.

On a query, he told reporters, “During the monarchy, kings maintained the temples by collecting tax. Now, in a democracy, the responsibility lies with the people-appointed State government. Further, the transfer of 48,000 temples under the Department is not possible.”

There was no need to hand over the temples to any private parties or organisations, he added.

“Consecration for 31 temples across the State took place on Friday and since the new government was formed, 444 temples have been consecrated. From January 26 to February 24, Kumbabishekam will take place in 179 temples across the State. Further, the State is funding ₹100 crore to 104 temples that are over 1,000 years old for Kumbabishekam works. The State has also sanctioned ₹50 crore for maintaining about 2,500 temples in Adi Dravidar colonies and rural areas this month.”

Further, lands worth ₹3,964 crore had been retrieved from encroachers across the State so far since March 2021, he said. Also, 227 idols had been recovered from illegal possession, the Minister said.

There were 29 temple elephants under the HR&CE Department, of which bathing pools for 26 had been installed. Medical check-ups every fortnight, food as recommended by experts and infrastructure for training for the elephants were being done, he added.