Tamil Nadu government should give up it’s motivated focus on temples

Many people felt that this  verdict of the single judge was wrong and an appeal was filed in the High Court. Now, the High Court bench has decided that the verdict approving the take over of the Ayodhya Mandapam   by Tamil Nadu government was wrong on several counts.

by N.S.Venkataraman 

On April 11,2022, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department of Government of Tamil Nadu acted with great hurry to take over the administration  of Ayodhya  Mandapam in Chennai, where periodical Hindu religious discourses and similar other religious practices are conducted ,  following a favourable order from Madras High court.

Many people noted that when Tamil Nadu government has not cared to implement several orders of the High court immediately or even after long time, it has acted with great speed in the case of the Ayodhya Mandapam. This made many people suspect that Tamil Nadu government  has a definite motive  against Hindu temples or the places used by Hindus for the purpose of  conducting their religious  activities . 

The fact is   that Ayodhya Mandapam was constructed in 1964 and the HR&CE department of Tamil Nadu government took over the administration of  Ayodhya Mandapam in January,2014 , stating that the  administration of Ayodhya Mandapam has not maintained the accounts properly , on the basis of a complaint filed by an individual.  The January, 2014 decision of Tamil Nadu government   was stayed by the Madras High court immediately.  After more than around 8 years, a single judge gave  a verdict approving the take over of Ayodhya Mandapam  by the Tamil Nadu government.

Many people felt that this  verdict of the single judge was wrong and an appeal was filed in the High Court. Now, the High Court bench has decided that the verdict approving the take over of the Ayodhya Mandapam   by Tamil Nadu government was wrong on several counts.

Certainly, Tamil Nadu government  should learn the right lesson and stop interfering in the affairs of the temples and places being used by Hindus for  carrying out religious practices.  The Tamil Nadu government  does not seem to care that millions of Hindus in Tamil Nadu and other parts in India and abroad are highly displeased that the Tamil Nadu government appears to act with  vengeance for whatever reasons.

Ever since the present Tamil Nadu government took over ten months back, several controversial decisions have been taken with regard to Hindu temples,  inspite of the loud protest by large section of Hindu community.  The decision to take over the gold and silver ornaments from the temples   and use them to earn interest to boost the income  of Tamil Nadu government is  wrong in principle, method and   this act cause suspicion about the motives.  Further, Tamil Nadu government  has been  interfering  with the traditional  practices followed in the Hindu temples by appointing people as priests , who are not trained as per the agama sastras. The new priests have been appointed after a few months of some training  and in the process , many brahmin priests who have been serving for several decades  and who are trained as per agama sastras  have lost their  positions and some of them have been reduced to daily wage earners.  Land area belonging to  Hindu temples are being used to set up colleges , though it is very clear as per the law that the government does not have the authority to use the temple property and possession as per it’s whims and fancies.

While more than 34,000 temples are under the control of Tamil Nadu government and many temples are badly maintained  and in some of the temples even pujas are not being conducted  regularly, Tamil Nadu government is using the temple funds  to construct big administrative building in Chennai  and buying cars for the officials working in the HR&CE department.

The present Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu  would not greet the hindus  on hindu festival days but would only greet christians and muslims on their festival days.  This  attitude towards Hindu religion is too glaring to be ignored.   

Obviously,  Tamil Nadu government  is adopting carrot and stick policy in dealing with Hindu temples. On the one hand, it would claim that it  is reclaiming the landed property of temples , collecting the rents and holding the conference of  Heads of Adheenams  (   that took place  on 27.4.2022  )  to give an impression that it is not biased against Hindu temples. At the same time, the property of Hindu temples are being taken over, the properties are being misused and a few Hindu temples have been demolished.

The attempt to take over Ayodhya Mandapam is a clear case of vindictive action against Hindu religion deliberately , misinterpreting a prayer hall type building as temple.  It is good that the  Madras High Court  has called the act of Tamil Nadu government as wrong and ordered that the Ayodhya Mandapam should be handed over back to the trustees.

Tamil Nadu government said that Ayodhya Mandapam is a temple since an idol is there and hundi is there.   Many people wonder that but for the present High Court judgement, Tamil Nadu government may have even tried to take over other Hindu religious centres on similar pretext.

In the last ten months , the excessive focus of Tamil Nadu government on administration of temples is causing huge suspicion about the motives of the government and making people suspect whether it wants  to dilute the hindu religious practices. 

While churches and mosques and gurudwaras are managed by their religious people   and they are left untouched by the government which is as it should be , why target Hindu temples alone? This trend is too serious to be ignored.