Temple Worshippers Society for the Hindus, by the Hindus

Over many centuries, generations of Bhaktas (from Kings to commoners) generously donated, mostly in the form of land, for sustaining our Temples.

For example, ĀandyMudaliar donated 15 acres of land in 1870 for performing Ardhajamampoojas at the Sri Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai. This land, on the Greenways Road, right next to Boat Club area, the most expensive real estate in Chennai, is worth almost Rs.1,200 cores! How much ‘income’ does the temple get from his land? Exactly Rs.3,000 per month!

This land is just part of a large tract of land in Greenways and is only one of the many properties of Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple, Chennai.

In Tamil Nadu 38,000 temples own more than 4.78 lakh acres of agricultural land, 22,600 buildings and 33,600 ‘sites’. All these properties are ‘managed’ by the Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department of Tamil Nadu Government. They reported revenue of Rs.303.64 crores! (2011) from these properties.

Just one property of Sri Kapaleeswarar temple referred above has a potential annual rent value of Rs.30 crores. It is obvious that the rent charged for the properties are extremely low. Of the Rs.303.64 crores revenue reported from temple properties, only Rs.36.04 crores amounting to 12% of even these abysmally low rents are collected. Many such receivables are overdue for decades! In any organization, commercial, charitable, not-for-profit, this kind of financial management would result in sacking of the entire management team!

Apart from land and other immovable properties, the temples had, and we use the past tense intentionally, vast quantities of ornaments and pooja vessels, made of gold, silver, diamonds and precious stones. Jewels from 215 temples have been stolen in the last 60 years. The HR&CE department is the custodian of temple wealth.

Unfortunately, this department does not even reveal the actual value of the jewels stolen. In many cases the loss of jewels is not known to the outside world at all.

No external audit of Tempe Jewels or properties have been conducted since 1976. and even on the findings of gross misappropriation and mismanagement by the internal audit department no action are taken.

On December 22 2010, devotees of the ancient Sri Patteesswarar Temple, at Perur, Coimbatore, discovered that about 156 globes made of gold and 108 globes made of silver, in the palanquins of the God and Goddess were missing. This came to light only when the Golden and Silver palanquins were taken out in procession.

Huge quantities of jewels said to be valued between Rs.1lakh to 5lakh crores were reported to be in the possession of Sri Padmanbhaswamy Temple, in Trivananthapuram. It is not inconceivable that several large ancient temples in Tamil Nadu would have possessed equal value of precious ornaments and jewels. Most of this wealth has been stolen and continues to be plundered. Sad to say, under Government patronage and neglect.