On 25 June 2024, Kanchipuram District Collector Kalaichelvi Mohan announced that the DMK government would soon expend financial aid for the repair and renovation of churches. This “initiative” was started in the fiscal year 2016-17 and now “provides” increased funding based on the age of the church buildings.

An official release detailed that the funding will cover the installation of stands for reading the gospel, sound systems, altars, sacred vessels, benches for devotees, and compound walls. The financial assistance has been substantially increased:

– Churches aged 10-15 years will now receive ₹10 lakh, up from ₹2 lakh

– Churches aged 15-20 years will receive ₹15 lakh, up from ₹4 lakh

– Churches over 20 years old will receive ₹20 lakh, up from ₹6 lakh

A committee led by the Collector will review applications, conduct site inspections, and assess needs before recommending eligible churches for funding. The financial aid will be disbursed in two installments through electronic transfer to the church’s bank account, according to the official release.

After the Supreme Court ruled that Hajj subsidy must not be given, the central government stopped giving the subsidy. However, TN state government continued doing so. What was Rs 12000 has now further allegedly increased to Rs 25000 under the DMK government.

Hinduphobic DMK govt takes temple money only to spend on churches & mosques

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the DMK government allowed mosques and churches to function while shutting down temples.

Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department officials use temple premises freely as parking lots. Here are a few examples of the same:

At Nachiyarkoil near Kumbakonam

State heritage sites are used as a thoroughfare by the state government unmindful of the impact of heavy vehicles traversing through.

Illegal work and heavy vehicle movement in Sri Sankaranarayana Swamy Temple, Sankarankoil.

Executive Officers of of the Sri Kapaliswarar Temple, Mylapore, Chennai seem to be very happy to oblige trucks to be parked inside the temple premises.  

Alleged purchase of personal items using temple funds

In this case, a car was allegedly purchased using money from a temple.

In another case, money from the hundi of Arulmigu Nadiamman Temple in Pattukottai was allegedly used to purchase toilet ware.

Despite having a department to take care and oversee the maintenance of temples, the ancient ones are not paid heed to and are left to crumble.

Here are a few instances of mismanagement, corruption, neglect, and poor maintenance of the HR&CE when it comes to temples.

Nellaiappar temple rath festival – ropes used for pulling the rath snapped and delayed the event. Poor quality ropes provided by HR&CE were blamed for this catastrophe.

The HR&CE authorities were accused of misappropriating ₹1.34 lakh from the funds of the Lord Agatheeswarar Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple in Chennai, diverting the money for office expenses like tea, coffee, snacks, and meals during 2017-18.

Despite collecting tickets in the name of puja/special darshan, the HR&CE department was seen allegedly selling expired prasadam at Palani Murugan temple earlier this year.

During the Kanda Shashti festival at Tiruchendur Subramania Swamy Temple last year, there was a significant increase in darshan fees, with charges for Abhishekam Darshan and Vishwarupa Darshan rising dramatically.

In a bid to mint money, they attempted to construct shops on land owned by the Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai, raising concerns about the impact on the temple’s heritage and sanctity. This decision, part of a ₹6.4 crore project, sparked debate and criticism from activists and heritage advocates. Later temple activist TR Ramesh managed to get a stay on the construction.

While doing all this, they leave ancient Hindu temples in an appalling state of neglect. The Brahmadesam Kailasanathar Temple in Ambasamudram, Tamil Nadu, a 1000-year-old heritage site, suffers from neglect with minimal staff and inadequate funding from the HR&CE department, despite its historical significance. Activist Shefali Vaidya highlighted the temple’s plight, describing how construction materials were carelessly dumped at the entrance, obstructing access for devotees. Similar neglect is evident at the nearby Kasinathar Temple and the Thiru Kutralanathar Temple in Courtallam, both ancient sites with rich histories now marred by debris and poor maintenance.

Going a step further, the HR&CE minister in the DMK government, SekarBabu organised a Christmas celebration event in December 2023.

In 2023, the HR&CE department allegedly illegally transferred Rs 100 crore worth of Vadapalani Murugan temple land to Christian missionaries.

With all these negatives attributed to the HR&CE department, the government seems to not want to do anything to set this right. Instead, they are keen to fund the maintenance of Abrahamic structures to appease the vote bank. It is important to note that it is only the Hindu institutions that the governments are controlling, the government does not get anything from or control Abrahamic institutions. The time is now or never – to push for freeing temples from government control.