Each temple has a unique set of rituals, norms of worship defined by agama sastras. Even the upkeep, maintenance and expansion are guided by age oldsatras. Our ancestors, kings, emperors and other devotees all adhered to agama sastras while constructing temples. All of our ancient temples have been expanded and renovated at some time after they were originally built. It is difficult for the untrained eye to spot the additions, for they blend harmoniously into the whole.

What has been preserved and tastefully embellished over centuries are now being destroyed by the crass babus of HR&CE.

• Ancient granite / stone pillars are dismantled replaced by concrete columns.
• Entire floors of mandapams, ancient eco-friendly granite, are removed and cement/mosaic floors laid.
• Temple walls with priceless inscriptions are plastered over
• Bathrooms tiles are used as a backdrop for the sacred icons.
• Pictures of Mother Teresa, RamasamyNaicker, and an atheist Dravidan politician CN Annadurai are stuck on the doors of Sanctum Sactorum door
• Ugly cement concrete constructions, steel tresses with fiber canopies without any sensitivity to the magnificent architecture.
• Whole temples are demolished under the guise of ‘rebuilding’ them – with bricks, cement, steel and concrete.
• Unseemly shops, and ‘offices’ within temple premises.

Are the nithyapoojas, worship conducted? Here too there is total and complete neglect.

• Temple lamps are unlit, unwashed
• Worship is corrupted for populist practices
• Sanctum sanctorum is violated by persons without the required training and learning to conduct poojas
• Not even one percent of the income of the temple is spent for daily poojas and rituals in most big temples.

There are no facilities for ordinary, poor worshipers – the Kings of Yore built Dharmashalas and Chatrams for devotees. To-day there is not even a rest room in the vicinity of any temple. It is disgusting to see passers by urinating around temple tanks.

The archakas, kurukkals, ‘poosaris’ and other temple sevaks are paid a pittance, if they are paid at all. All major temples have maniyams – land donated for specific purposes like remuneration of archakas, kurukkals, ‘poosaris’. Such lands have been usurped under the ‘control’ of HR&CE