Temple Car is not Thiruther ~ but the car used by HRCE officials !!!!!

Only the Devout who regularly visits the temple  know the anguish…. It is not unique to any village temple… the malady affects almost all temples – more so, when thousands of devotees come to the temple …. More so when they contribute lakhs and crores of rupees in the Temple hundis.  WE have nobody else to blame than ourselves having allowed the Govt to manage the Temples.

For a Hindu, devotion and worship is way of life… their life revolves round the Temples ~ more around those great temples of which Alwars and Nayanmars have sung hymns… doing service at the temple, and donating their property were all for propitiation ~ and many rich people donated part of their wealth, their lands and more for Temples – constructing them and maintaining them…. People who died without progeny used to donate their property to temple – as when the temple flourished – all the neighbourhood prospered…. ‘people lived happily in places where culture and religion co-existed’…..

All tales of the past…. Now there are some temples where even daily rituals are not properly conducted… not all of them are in villages, neither – all of them not having property …. They have huge estates – only the administrators are not properly managing to derive revenue out of them.  We have HR&CE which will take over temples when revenue exceeds a set limit [the same rule does not apply to religious institutions of others !!!!] – and with the temple money – they will conduct political functions – in memory of leaders who preached atheism … why at a temple premises …. If feeding the poor is the aim – do it in the name of God – why in the name of political persons ?  have we questioned  this ??

Sadly here is a Temple  in ruins and in a most dilapidated state. A name board proclaims that Department of Archaelogy which protects 85 monuments spread all over the state is taking care ! of this temple.   It is quite unfortunate that places which had pristine glory have lost their veritable importance, are in dilapidated condition needing conservation.  It really pains to see the temple lying shattered in ruins.

Sadly, the temple precincts are poorly maintained – hygiene is not at all cared ….   in some places, the annual festivities do not take place …

In the famous Triplicane Sri Parthaswami Thirukkovil, there was this building in South Tank Square street, built for the purpose of keeping the magnificent ‘Kannadi pallakku’ – ask anybody who is over 50 there – he would have witnessed that beautiful kannadi pallakku – present condition : the one went fading due to poor maintenance but the place was converted as car park for keeping the new car of the Executive Officer of the Temple ! ~ none resisted or fighted !!!!!!!!

HR & CE and its boss Tamil Nadu Government have regularly been looting Hindu Temples of their monies for non-temple, non-Hindu purposes. Three detailed Writ Petitions have been filed by  Mr TR Ramesh as President of Indic Collective Trust and in my individual capacity questioning the transfer of funds and for reparation funds already. Sai Deepak Iyer J is to be thanked in a big way for his phenomenal efforts in creating awareness of such looting and mismanagement of Hindu Temples & endowments across the nation and for his involved efforts in arguing the core matter for the benefit of Hindus before High Courts and Supreme Court. 

With this background, read the article below that has appeared in The Hindu – titled, “PIL filed in Madras High Court accusing HR&CE Minister, Commissioner of using cars purchased using temple funds”  -  Mohamed Imranullah S.

CHENNAI, AUGUST 02, 2020 00:24 IST

Litigant trust claims that even fuel expenses are met by the temples

A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court accusing the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister as well as the Commissioner of using cars purchased from the funds of the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore and the Kamakshiamman temple at Mangadu respectively.

Justices M.M. Sundresh and R. Hemalatha have ordered notices to the State government as well as the HR&CE Commissioner on the PIL petition filed by the Indic Collective Trust, represented by its president T.R. Ramesh. The petitioner’s counsel Niranjan Rajagopalan said temple money was being used even for fuel expenses.  The judges directed the Registry to list the case along with another PIL petition filed by Rangarajan Narasimhan of Srirangam against a Government Order to collect Rs.10 crore of surplus funds from 20 rich temples and use it to renovate 10,000 village temples. In that case, the court had passed an interim order restraining any such expenditure.

In an affidavit filed in support of his case, Mr. Ramesh said a combined reading of Articles 25,26, 27 of the Constitution would make it clear that the State could not appropriate funds belonging to temples and other religious institutions. Hence, the trust had challenged the validity of many provisions of the HR&CE Act before the Supreme Court. Even as those cases were pending in the apex court, the HR&CE Department had been continuing to transfer temple funds without following the provisions of its own Act, the trust alleged. It claimed that funds were being diverted at the ipse dixit of the department though the law prescribes elaborate procedures such as calling for public objections.

Further stating that the HR&CE had failed to appoint trustees for around 19,000 temples in the State since 2011, the litigant trust said they were being managed by the department employees appointed as fit Persons. It insisted that the funds of such temples should be used for their essential maintenance purposes alone and not transferred at all. Mr. Rajagopalan also told the court that temple funds had been used for purchasing computers for HR&CE officials and painting their offices. He said now there was also a proposal by the State government to start a television channel using temple funds and that the trust would want to reserve its right to challenge the decision at an appropriate time.

Sad, sordid tale .. .. officials think they are bigger than God – the Executive Officer at the holy Srirangam Ranganatha Perumal koil audaciously has his official car driven on the sands of ulprakaram to reach Office – devotees rever these places with devotion as these were the places were Azhwars and Acaryas had treaded .. ..

When the thiruther of a temple has some defects, it takes years and lots of money from various Devotees to get renovated ~ HR&CE Dept never places the money collected from the same temple in repairing it – b u t, luxury cars are bought for use of Officers.

Temple Cars The Hindu article

when Fence turns thieves ~ only Lord can save from these idol lifters !!!

In the land of Azhwars&Nayanmars – devouts go to Temples everyday. WE believe in surrendering UNTO HIMSELF – and GOD will take care of us. For devout HINDUS – GOD IS EVERYTHING.  HE PROTECTS US IN EVERY WAY .. .. there are beautiful, ancient, famous temples – devotees offer crores in Temple hundis, donate lands, donate material, arrange for so many celebrations .. .. .. .. and at some point of time – Temples went into the hands of Government.

Government for administering temples created a monster called HR&CE – the intent was administration – what will a common man do – expect that in the civil society, any criminal misdoings will be punished by Police and Courts; appointed Govt Officials will administer – but alas, if you read the recent articles and follow the happenings in Tamil Nadu – all hopes will be dashed as Police officials and HR&CE officials are  involved in looting temple funds and indulged in idol thefts too ~ harsh and unbelievable – it may sound, but – these are recorded in media and chided by Courts !!

~ h o w       p a t h e t i c !!!!!

The Hindu Temples have been in possession of thousands of acres of lands since ancient times. Even during the times of East India Company, compaints were received regarding maladministration of these institutions. In 1858, the Indian Government's Administration was transferred to the British crown directly from the hands of the East India Company.  At that time itself,  the British Government assured that it will not interfere in the religious matters; there were large no. of complaints – and when the mantle passed on to local Govt, life has not changed for Temples.  There have been complaints of mismanagement of valuable assets like icons, jewels, etc. and encroachment of properties; authorities unable to collect the measly rents, not protect the properties but indulge in the way of worship, thinking devotees to be vassals.  From the malfunctions of Panagal times, continuing till, meantime the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1951 was promulgated.

With this background – read the sordid occurrences below:

1)   The Idol Wing police arrested KadherBasha, suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police, in connection with the theft of idols from Sri Narumburnathar temple in Tirunelveli district.

While investigating the case, Basha inferred that idol smuggling barons were linked to the theft and in order to save them he allegedly closed it in 2007 by arresting three persons who were not involved in the crime. Subsequently, the stolen idol was smuggled to the U.S. through Dheenadayalan, an antique dealer.A few months ago, the agency came to know that the idol stolen from the Pazhavur temple was brought back to the country and confiscated by the Customs department in Kolkata.After investigation, a case was booked against Basha, who was out on bail in connection with the Aruppukotai idol theft case. He was picked up from Chennai and produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Friday. He was lodged in the Central Prison, Tiruchi.

2)   The Madras high court on Thursday granted conditional bail to retired IAS officer Veera Shanmugamoni, former commissioner of Hindu Religious Endowment and Charitable Trust Department, who was arrested by the Idol Wing CID for alleged misappropriation of money and gold collected for making two idols to Ekambareswarar Sivan Temple, Kancheepuram.

The court then ordered his release on bail on a bond for a sum of Rs10,000 with two sureties, for a like sum to the satisfaction of the special court for idol theft cases, Kumbakkonam.Shanmugamoni has also been directed to report before the Idol Wing police, whenever required for interrogation and not to tamper with the evidence or witnesses during the trial.

According to the prosecution, there had been a deep-seated common criminal conspiracy hatched in secrecy among the officials of the department, including the high-ranking petitioner to surreptitiously remove 1,600-year-old antique PanchalokamSomaskandar idol and the antique PanchalokamEalavaarkulali Amman idol from the temple and have it clandestinely replaced over the years with newly made modern replica of the idols.The further case of the prosecution is that Shanmugamoni, as the commissioner of the department, along with the additional commissioner in-charge should have ensured that the two newly made idols should contain a minimum of 8.7kg of gold in the total metal composition. The cost of 8.7kg of gold in 2015 amounts to Rs2.82cr. A huge amount of funds was collected from the devotees and it has not been properly accounted and that apart, there was absolutely no gold component in both the idols and thereby, the persons who were at the helm of affairs during the relevant point of time have misappropriated huge amounts of money, the prosecution added.

3)   The Madras High Court expressed shock hearing about destruction of records sought by the Idol Theft Wing - Criminal Investigation Department, from Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department in connection with the alleged theft of an idol of a peacock from PunnaivananatharSannidhi in Kapaleeswarar temple at Mylapore.

A Division Bench of Justices R. Mahadevan and P.D. Audikesavalu were taken aback when government advocate P. Kritika Kamal informed the court that the HR & CE officials had been giving “evasive replies” to requests made by Idol Theft Wing to part with the documents and recently they had claimed that all those documents were destroyed.

“How the documents can be destroyed? Who destroyed them? When were they destroyed? This is a very serious issue. Everybody responsible for this must be taken to task,” the senior judge in the Bench said and directed Inspector General of Police A.G. PonnManickavel to proceed further and find out the truth behind the claim of destruction of documents.The judge also said that the missing documents only end up affirming the allegations of writ petitioner Rangarajan Narasimhan that the original idol of the peacock carrying a flower on its beak had been shifted out of the temple during its consecration in 1994 and replaced with an identical idol of the bird holding a snake on its beak.

“It amounts to impersonation of idols. Lakhs of devotees have been worshipping fake idol for the last 14 years,” the petitioner said and urged the court to order installation of a new idol after following the rituals as per agamas.

~ who will save the Temples from the crutches of these people – ONLY LORD HIMSELF CAN !!

Please read and circulate ….

ஆலய சொத்து (அல்ல) ஆண்டவனையே கபளீகரம் செய்யும் அறத்துறை

There are thousands of devotees in Temple – there are so many temples in the South – just for example the most holy Thirumala Tirupathi would stand tall and above every other temple in sheer number of devotees and the donations. There are other temples as well – Sri Kanaka Durgamma temple in Bezawada, Kollur Mookambika, Kukke Subramanya swami, Udupi Sri Krishna in Karnataka; the most famous Guruvayur Sri Krishna, Sabarimala Sri Iyappan Devasthanam, Attukkal Bhagawathi amman  temple, Sri Padmanabhaswami temple ~ then there are so many divyadesangal and padal petra sthalams of Tamil nadu.

If one were to look at the first point of difference – it is the administration – Temples in almost every other place is managed by Boards / DEvaswoms / dharmakarthas / devotees having faith in the Lord and doing every act in the name of GOD .. .. but in Tamil Nadu, Temples are but revenue generators next to tasmac – temples are under the control of Govt, administered by atheists and the donations made to the temple find their way to any activity totally unconnected with the temple and the purpose of donation. Sad is the state of affairs.

While the real baktha who comes to the temple for worshipping and those innumerable devotees who contribute to the temple for its betterment – are kept out- provided no facilities, made to wait in the queue for long hours – one would find officials, politicians and those closer to these two identifies go near the Lord without standing in the Queue....  closer to GOD

It is a shame – on 31^st July 2018, Idol Wing sleuths  arrested M Kavitha, Additional Commissioner of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department (HR&CE) on charges of misappropriation of gold in the two panchaloha idols made for the Ekambaranathar temple in Kancheepuram. The two idols, which were supposed to contain 5.75 kg of gold together and whose making was overseen by the then Deputy Commissioner of HRCE, Kavitha, did not contain even a single gram of gold, according to Idol Wing officials.  One should not be seeing this as a fallen disgraceful act of one individual – perhaps it is the failure of the system itself.

Here is what could be read in HR&CE site :  The management and control of the temples and the administration of their endowments is one of the primary responsibilities of the State.  A number of measures have been undertaken prior to the year 1925 for efficient control and supervision of the administration of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments.  In the Act 1 of 1925, the Government constituted " Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board" consisting of a President and two to four Commissioners nominated by the Government to function as a statutory body. Subsequently, Act 1 of 1925 was repealed by the Act 2 of 1927, which was followed by several modifications up to the year 1951. ~ even there, one thing is CLEAR – IT IS THE ADMINISTRATION AND NOT THE OWNERSHIP – AGAIN, ADMINISTRATION OF MONETARY ACTIVITIES CERTAINLY NOT THE RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES – BUT GO TO ANY TEMPLE AND SEE IT ALL BY YOURSELF – THE WAY THE OFFICIALS BEHAVE =- CAN ONE TOUCH HEART AND ASK WHY WOULD THE LORD READY FOR PROCESSION WAITS FOR THE EO/AC / DC TO COME AND HAVE DARSHAN ~ ARE THEY ABOVE THE LORD – DON’T THEY FEEL ASHAMED ?

SURE you have had darshan at holy Tirumala – after  passing through the Padi Kavali Maha Dvara, you will find yourself in an open mandapam called the Krishna Deva Raya Mandapam or Pratima Mandapam.  There you would see bronze  portrait icons of the Vijayanagara emperor Krishnadevaraya and his two consorts, Tirumaladevi to his left, and Chinnadevi to his right. All three icons face the main shrine, with their hands joined in supplication.  For those who do not know history, Sri Krishna Deva Raya was a great emperor ruling from Vijayanagar. 

The year 1001 A.D. saw the first inroad into India of the Muhammadans from over the north-west border, under Mahmud of Ghazni. He invaded first the plains of the Panjab, then Multan, and afterwards other places.  His expeditions were raids and nothing more. Other invasions, however, followed in quick succession, and after the lapse of two centuries the Muhammadans were firmly and permanently established at Delhi. War followed war,  In 1309 Malik Kafur,  swept into the Deccan akhan and captured Warangal. That was a period when marauders raided, killed thousands of hindus and pillaged all material wealth.   When ruin and devastation were the only happening, came the raise of Vijayanagara Empire came the check to the wave of invasion and those mighty Kings stand with folded hands in Temple – just compare with the modern day administrators, their words, deeds and behaviour in temples !!! .

Sad, sad, is the modern day looting – sometimes the officials empowered by a draconian statute to prevent are also involved – sadder still, they are looting not the revenue but playing with the IDOLS OF GODS TOO .. .. WHAT PUNISHMENT DO THEY DESERVE.

NEWS reports state that in  2015, Tamil Nadu chief sthapathi M Muthaiah advised the HR&CE on making new idols of Ezhavarkuzhali and Somaskandar, pointing out that the idols made in 2009 had not complied with the traditional rules. Permission was granted and orders were laid down that the Somaskandar idol should weigh 50 kg and the Ezhavarkuzhali idol 65 kg, amounting to a net total of 115 kgs. But the order was revised to make the idols weighing 111 kg and 63 kg respectively.

The department also provided alloy compositions needed for the making of the idols. An idol should contain 5% gold, 1% silver, 80% copper, 12% brass and 2% tin. Five percent of 115 kg will be 5.75 kg of gold.Investigators said that though the HR & CE officials had collected huge quantum of gold as donation for the idols, it was not used at all and swindled by them. The idols were made at Swamimalai near Kumbakonam on the orders of the Hindu Religious and Endowment board in 2015. The temple executive officer invited gold donations for the idols but never kept an account of the accepted gold ornaments, an official involved in the investigations said. After sculpting, both idols were brought to the Kancheepuram temple and installed.

The issue of came to light after one Annamalai lodged a complaint with the police. As no action was taken, the magistrate court ordered the police to probe the case. Idol Wing sleuths have  arrested M Kavitha, Additional Commissioner of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department (HR&CE) on charges of misappropriation of gold in the two panchaloha idols made for the Ekambaranathar temple in Kancheepuram. The two idols, which were supposed to contain 5.75 kg of gold together and whose making was overseen by the then Deputy Commissioner of HRCE, Kavitha, did not contain even a single gram of gold, according to Idol Wing officials.

Only recently, we have been reading the run / anticipatory bail plea of P. Dhanapal, former HR & CE Commissioner who is wanted by the Idol Wing police in the Palani idol case. The esteemed sthapathi had already been arrested.  The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court dismissed the bail plea of   Mr. Dhanapal who moved the court seeking anticipatory bail after the Idol Wing police, led by Inspector General of Police A.G. Pon Manickavel, issued summons to him. But he failed to respond to the summons served at his houses in Chennai and Pudukottai, his native place. The case against the petitioner was filed under Sections 403 (Dishonest misappropriation of property), 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant), 418 (Cheating), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 120-B (Punishment for criminal conspiracy) and 477 A (Falsification of accounts) of the Indian Penal Code.

So far, the Idol Wing has arrested four persons in the case pertaining to the alleged conspiracy to replace the main idol of Sri Dandayuthapaniswamy Temple in Palani in 2004.  MORE ;; ; Irked by the increasing number of complaints of thefts of ancient idols in Tamil Nadu, Madras High Court has issued an ultimatum to the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. As reported by The Hindu, Justice R Mahadevan on Wednesday (11 July) warned Tamil Nadu government that he would be constrained to order a Central Bureau of Investigation probe if the HR&CE Department did not get its act together.

The judge made the statement taking cognizance of recent newspaper reports of a Panchaloha idol having been stolen from the famous Sri Arunachaleswarar Temple in Tiruvannamalai district, and a complaint made by Rangarajan Narasimhan of Tiruchi about the theft of precious artefacts from the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam. “It is a very sorry state of affairs in the State. This is totally unacceptable. The petitioner [Mr. Narasimhan] has been repeatedly approaching the government officials, but not an inch has moved. If idols are missing from each and every temple, then we will have to ask the CBI to probe into it. Why should there be a HR&CE department at all?,” the judge asked, according to the daily’s report.

Conveniently, the HR&CE feigned ignorance saying that the petitioner had not brought it to the notice of the department and had only been making repeated complaints to the police. "Now that we have come to know of his complaint, we shall take immediate action. I will ask the officials to start finding out the veracity of his claim right now,” said HR&CE counsel SP Maharajan. But Narasimhan told the court that he was tired of bringing these matters to the notice of  both the HR&CE as well as the police with regard to missing of precious idols, doors made of exotic wood, many kalasams, sculptures, unblemished granite pavements and other treasures that were said to be buried by erstwhile royals on the 157-acre temple campus.

In another case, petitioner named G Rajendran told the court that several ancient idols worth hundreds of crores at Uma Maheshwarar Temple in Konerirajapuram in Nagapattinam district were kept in a small room with an ordinary lock. And so were around 30 panchaloga idols at Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple at Senthalai village near Tirukattupalli in Thanjavur district. He sought police protection for the idols stored in both the temples. The judge, clearly miffed with the rising complaints and inaction, has adjourned further hearings till Friday, by when the counsel for HR&CE department and the police are required to submit details of action taken on the Srirangam missing artefacts case.

HR&CE AND ITS OFFICIALS WHAT TO SAY … they put up defaulters list – who is to blame, those who have not paid or those who poorly administered – or these unscrupulous criminals who have tried to make money on the LORD HIMSELF !

~ a very sad bakth.

fire at Sri Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple ~ remove all shops & offices immediately

Sri Madurai Meenakshi amman temple is a very famous temple ~ it would only be appropriate to say that people visit Madurai for worshipping the Goddess and it is not people visiting Madurai have darshan at this temple.

It stands adding lustre to the Temple town of Madurai ~ the great Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple – aka – Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, located on the south banks of river Vaigai.  The presiding deity is Goddess Meenakshi, a form of Parvathi and her consort Sundareeswarar, the manifestation of Shiva.  The Temple has pride of place in Sangam literature. 

The Temple is many many centuries old -  the present campus structure was rebuilt after the 14^th  century CE, further repaired, renovated and expanded in the 17^th  century by  great ruler Thirumalai Nayakkar.   In early 14^th century,  the armies of Delhi Sultanate led by Muslim Commander Malik Kafur plundered the temple, looted it of its valuables and destroyed the Madurai temple town along with many other temple towns of South India.  Vijayanagara Empire rulers  rebuilt the core and reopened the temple.  The famed temple now has 14 gopurams (gateway towers), ranging from 45–50m in height, with the southern gopura tallest at 51.9 metres (170 ft). The complex has numerous sculpted pillared halls such as Ayirakkal (1,000 pillar hall), Kilikoondu-mandapam, Golu-mandapam and Pudu-mandapam.

Recently in 2017, the famed temple was   adjudged the best ‘Swachh Iconic Place’ (clean place) in India. Ten spots were identified by the Central government as part of the ‘Swachh Iconic Places’ initiative  and  Madurai City Corporation became recipient of  a special award from the Centre as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.  District Collector and Corporation Commissioner received the honours.  The officials claimed that as  part of the recognition as Swachh Iconic Place, a project had been conceived to clean the periphery of the temple, and was slated to be completed by March 2018. The project is estimated to cost ₹11.65 crore and has been sponsored by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity.

It is common knowledge that temples in Tamil Nadu are under Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments – the money that pours in to the Temple hundials are taken over by HR&CE and the Government and are used for all and sundry – wide away for the purposes for which such donations big and small are made.  Temples are neglected and officials do not care to maintain the religious, spiritual or physical cleanliness of the temples ~ sad, is the state of affairs.  While the revenue of major temples enrich the coffers of the Govt, nothing is done to take care, maintain, upkeep or least ensure that basic poojas are conducted in Temples. Who cares !

Adding to the sordid affairs, there are shops and commercial establishments minting money from the devotees ~ in every Temple, such shops run by individuals either do not pay rent or pay a measly price, many a times managed by politicians and goons.  The authorities do not take any action for obvious reasons – either aligning themselves or simple negligent. 

From the morning media abuzz with reports that a  massive fire  broke out on the premises of the famous Meenakshi temple was put out in the early hours of Saturday and the devotees were allowed to offer the morning prayers.  The reports put that the  fire reduced 40 shops to ashes. "The hall with 1,000 pillars, which houses the temple museum, has not suffered any damage," District Collector Veera Raghava Rao, who supervised the fire-fighting operations, told reporters. He added that a special team was formed to look into the impact of the fire on the temple, especially the 7,000-square foot Vasantharayar Mandapam, "which has been affected". There were no casualties, the collector said, adding that a police investigation was underway, primarily because the fire broke out in the night. 

Other reports state that the major fire destroyed  atleast 30 shops located inside the East Tower of the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai.   A preliminary probe revealed that the fire broke out late on Friday night due to an electrical short-circuit in one of the shops situated near the 1,000-pillar hall. About 40 shops, selling puja articles and toys, were gutted in the fire and steps were being taken to clear the area of smoke, the police said.

According to  a flower vendor at the temple,  the mortar paste had peeled off at several places inside the Vasantharayar hall, while the paintings on the roof were destroyed. Besides, two pillars got dislocated in the impact of the fire, a temple official said on the condition of anonymity. The east tower entrance of the temple has temporarily been shut for cleanup works and the devotees are being allowed inside through the other gates.

Meanwhile, various Hindu outfits staged a protest, demanding relocation of the shops from the temple premises. It is not out of place to point out that a Hindu Munnani leader who had earlier pleaded removal of shops in the temple complex was murdered a decade ago.  A huge posse of police personnel has been deployed in and around the temple.

Sad is the state of affairs ! ~ if the heritage and richness of the Temple is to be preserved all shops must be removed from the Temple compound and so be the Office – can not the administration function from any building outside the Temple Complex ?  ~ and this would apply to all Temples managed (!) by HR & CE

அரசே ஆலயத்தை விட்டு வெளியேறு !

~  ஆலய காணிக்கைகளை இறைவனுக்காக மட்டுமே செலவிடு.

ஆலய காணிக்கை வேறு எந்த திட்டத்துக்கும் செல்லக்கூடாது.

ஆலய நிலங்களை அரசு தானம் செய்யக்கூடாது.

****************************

கோதா தேவி திருவடிகளே சரணம் !! மூர்க்கர்களும் மூடர்களும் !! பேசினால் வேறு என்ன ??

கோதா தேவி திருவடிகளே சரணம் !! மூர்க்கர்களும்  மூடர்களும் !! பேசினால் வேறு என்ன ??

ஒரு வக்கிரம் பிடித்த மூர்க்கன் நாம் வணங்கும் தெய்வமான கோதை பிராட்டியை பற்றி பிதற்றினான்.  நமது சம்பிரதாய நூல்களான 'குரு பரம்பரை பிரபாவமும் "  'ஆறாயிரப்படி' போன்ற அற்புத வியாக்கினங்களும், மேலும் லட்சக்கணக்கான நூல்களும் இருக்க ஒரு தகர சிப்பி,  இன்னமும் அடிமைத்தனம் மோகித்து, ஏதோ அமெரிக்க நூலில் உள்ளதாக உளறியது.

அப்படி உளறி வாயும், அதற்கு மேடை அமைத்து அமர்ந்திருந்த பத்திரிகையாளர்களும் அதற்கான துர்ப்பயனை நிச்சயம் விரைவில் அனுபவிக்க வேண்டும் என்பது பக்தர்களின் உள்ளக் குமுறல். 

ஸ்ரீ ஆண்டாள் திருவடிகளே சரணம்.

ஆண்டாள் விவகாரம்: செண்டலங்கார ஜீயர் சுவாமி மறுப்பு

சென்னை:‛‛தமிழை ஆண்டாள்'' என்ற தலைப்பில் ஆண்டாள் பற்றி கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து தெரிவித்த சர்ச்சைக்குரிய கருத்துகளுக்கு, மன்னார்குடி ஸ்ரீசெண்டலங்கார ஜீயர் சுவாமி மறுப்பு தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

அதன் விபரம்: 'தமிழை ஆண்டாள்' என்ற கட்டுரை மூலம் கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து தனக்கு தமிழும் தெரியாது, தமிழர் பண்பாடும் தெரியாது என்பதை வெளிப்படுத்திக் கொண்டுள்ளார். இந்த கட்டுரையின் நோக்கம் வைணவர்கள் நாளும் போற்றி வணங்கிடும் ஆண்டாளை இழிவு படுத்துவதற்கே எழுதப்பட்டது.

வைரமுத்துவுக்கு சில கேள்விகள்:

* ஆண்டாளை தேவதாசி என்று மேல் நாட்டு அறிஞர் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளதைக் கட்டுரைக்குப் பொருத்தமில்லாத ஒரு செய்தியை முனைப்புடன் கொடுக்க முற்படுவானேன். அதற்கு ஏதேனும் ஆதாரம் உண்டா? இந்தியப் பண்பாட்டை, ஓர் மதக் கொள்கையைப் புரிந்து கொள்ள மேல்நாட்டு அறிஞர்களால் முடியுமா?

* மரபுகளின் மீதான அத்துமீறல் ஆண்டாள் வாழ்வில் அடிக்கடி நேர்கிறது' என்பது வைரமுத்துவின் பிதற்றல்களில் ஒன்று. ஆண்டாள் இறைவனின் பத்தினிகளில் ஒருவரின் அவதாரமாகக் கொள்ளப்படுகிறார்.  பூமாதேவி, ஸ்ரீதேவி, நீளை எனப்படும் மூன்றாம் தேவி. இவர்கள் எப்போதும் இறைவனுடன் இணைந்தே காணப்படுகின்றனர். நீளையினுடைய அவதாரமே நப்பின்னை. ஜல்லிக்கட்டின் தலைவனே கண்ணன். தமிழர்களுடைய முல்லை நிலப் பண்பாட்டை ஆழ்வார்களுடைய பாசுரங்களில் காணலாம். நுனிப்புல் மேயும் வைரமுத்துவிற்கு இவை தெரியாது..

திருமங்கையாழ்வார், நம்மாழ்வார், குலசேகராழ்வார் தலைவி நிலையில் (மனத்தளவில்) தம்மை உள்ளத்தில் கொண்டு கண்ணன் மீது காதல் பாடல்களைப் பாடியுள்ளனர். ஆண்டாளோ பெண்ணாகவே பிறந்து, கண்ணன் மீது காதல் கொண்டாள். நாச்சியார் திருமொழியில், கண்ணனை அடைய வேண்டும் என்னும் வேட்கையை வெளிபடுத்துகிறாள் ஆண்டாள், அது தமிழ் இலக்கிய மரபின் ஓர் கூறு. இதைக் கொச்சைப் படுத்தி எழுதியிருப்பதுதான் விந்தையிலும் விந்தை.

*'தெய்வம், கடவுள் ஆகிய இரண்டுக்கும் உள்ள வேறுபாடு பற்றி வைரமத்து கூறியது, ஓர் மரபு மீறிய விளக்கம். வைரமுத்துவை விட பன்மடங்கு அறிவுடையார் நிகண்டுகளைப் படைத்தவர்கள். அவர்கள் சொல்லும் பொருளே ஏற்றுக் கொள்ளப்படும்.

*வர்க்க பேதம், ஜாதிபேதம் எல்லாம் மக்களை மதி மயக்க உருவாக்கப்பட்ட சொற்கள். 8ம் நூற்றாண்டில் இது போன்ற எண்ணங்கள் கிடையாது அனைவரும் சமுதாயத்துக்குரிய கடமைகளைச் செய்து வந்தனர். ஆண்டாளின் பெருமையை விளக்க, வர்க்க, ஜாதிப் பிரிவுகள் பற்றிய குறிப்பு தேவையற்றது.

*'எப்படி ஆண்டாள் கல்லான கடவுளைக் கைப்பிடித்தாள்' என்று பிதற்றியுள்ளார். அது எங்கள் நம்பிக்கை. நீ கொண்டாடும் மற்றைய மதத்தினரிடம் இது போன்ற கேள்வியை எழுப்பி இருப்பாயா?

*பாகவதத்தில் காத்தியாயினி (கார்த்தியாயினி என்று வைரமுத்து கூறியது தவறு) நோன்பு கண்ணனை அடைவதற்காக நோற்கப்பட்டது. திருப்பாவையிலும் அதேபோன்று கண்ணனை அடைவதற்கே பாவை நோன்பு கொண்டாடப்பட்டது. வைணவ உரை ஆசிரியர்களான பெரியவாச்சான் பிள்ளை, அழகியமணவாளப் பெருமாள் நாயனார் ஆகியோர் இதைத் தெளிவுபடுத்தியுள்ளனர். இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறியுள்ளார்.

http://www.dinamalar.com/news_detail.asp?id=1936496

நன்றி மருத்துவர் அய்யா. கு.இராமதாஸ் அவர்கள் Dr. Ramdoss அய்யா அவர்களின் அறிக்கை....

ஆண்டாள் சர்ச்சை: மக்கள் மனதை புண்படுத்தும் கருத்துகள் கூடாது!  ---அறிக்கை ---

தினமணி நாளிதழில் ‘தமிழின் ஆண்டாள்’ என்ற தலைப்பில் கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து எழுதிய கட்டுரையில் பன்னிரு ஆழ்வார்களில் ஒருவரான ஆண்டாளை இழிவுபடுத்தும் வகையில் தெரிவித்துள்ள கருத்துகள் பெரும் சர்ச்சையை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளன. எழுதியக் கட்டுரையின் தலைப்புக்கு சற்றும் தொடர்பில்லாத வகையில் ஆண்டாள் குறித்த கற்பனை மற்றும் யூகங்களை கவிஞர் திணித்திருப்பது கண்டிக்கத்தக்கது.

‘தமிழின் ஆண்டாள்’ கட்டுரையில் ஆண்டாளின் சிறப்புகளைப் பற்றி அடுக்கிக் கொண்டு வரும் கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து இடையிடையே சில வினாக்களைத் தொடுத்து, அதற்கு பதிலளிப்பதாகக் கூறி ஆண்டாளை குலமறியா பெண்ணாக சித்தரிக்க முயன்றிருக்கிறார். அதன் அடுத்தக்கட்டமாக அமெரிக்காவின் இண்டியானா பல்கலைக்கழகம் சுபாஷ் சந்திர மாலிக்கை ஆசிரியராகக் கொண்டு வெளியிட்ட Indian Movement: some aspects of dissent, protest and reform என்ற நூலில் ஆண்டாள் குறித்து,‘‘Andal was herself a devadasi who lived and died in the Srirangam Temple’’ என்று குறிப்பிடப் பட்டிருப்பதைச் சுட்டிக்காட்டி ஆண்டாளை வணங்குபவர்களையும், அவரது பாடல்களை நேசிப்பவர்களையும் காயப்படுத்தியிருக்கிறார். இது சர்ச்சையான பிறகு தமக்கு எதிரான கொந்தளிப்பைக் குறைக்கும் வகையில் தமது வரிகள் யார் மனதையாவது புண்படுத்தியிருந்தால் வருந்துவதாகத் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். கவிஞர் வைரமுத்துவின் இந்த விளக்கம் காயப்பட்ட மனங்களுக்கு எந்த வகையிலும் மருந்தாக அமையாது.

இண்டியானா பல்கலைக்கழகம் வெளியிட்ட ஆய்வுக் கட்டுரையில் ஆண்டாள் குறித்து இடம்பெற்றுள்ள கருத்துகளுக்கு எந்த ஆதாரமும் இல்லை. ஆண்டாளைப் பற்றி அறியப்படாத நாட்டில் ஆய்வு என்ற பெயரில் அவரைப் பற்றி எவர் வேண்டுமானாலும், எப்படி வேண்டுமானாலும் எழுதி பட்டம் பெற்று செல்லலாம். ஆனால், ஆண்டாள் வாழ்ந்த மண்ணில், அவரை வணங்குபவர்கள் வாழும் மண்ணில் அவர் குறித்த அடிப்படையற்ற சர்ச்சைக் கருத்தை பயன்படுத்துவதற்கு முன் வைரமுத்து பத்தாயிரம் முறையாவது யோசித்திருக்க வேண்டும். இந்தக் கருத்தை பக்தர்கள் ஏற்றுக் கொள்ள மாட்டார்கள் என்று வைரமுத்து குறிப்பிட்டிருப்பதைப் பார்க்கும் போது, இப்படி ஒரு சர்ச்சையை ஏற்படும் என்பதை அறிந்தே அவர் இவ்வாறு குறிப்பிட்டிருப்பதாகத் தோன்றுகிறது. இதை அவர் தவிர்த்திருக்க வேண்டும்.

ஆண்டாள் குலமறியாத பெண் என்பதையும் ஏற்க முடியாது. ஆண்டாளின் பாசுரங்களில் மிகத் தெளிவாக “பட்டர்பிரான் கோதை”, “வில்லி புதுவை நகர்நம்பி விட்டு சித்தன் வியன்கோதை” என்று பலவாறாக கோதையின் சுய அடையாளம் மீண்டும் மீண்டும் சொல்லப்படுகிறது. எங்கோ இண்டியானா பல்கலைக்கழக நூலில் இடம்பெற்றுள்ள கருத்தை மேற்கோள் காட்டிய கவிஞருக்கு ஆண்டாள் பாசுரத்தில் இடம் பெற்றுள்ள அவரது அடையாளங்கள் தெரியாமல் போனது மிகவும் துரதிருஷ்டவசமானது தான்.

கவிஞர் வைரமுத்து தமிழுக்கு கிடைத்த தலைசிறந்த எழுத்தாளர், கவிஞர் என்பதில் எவருக்கும் மாற்றுக் கருத்து இருக்க முடியாது. இதுவரை வேறு எவரும் சாதிக்காத வகையில் குடியரசுத் தலைவர் விருதை 6 முறையும், குடிமக்களுக்கு வழங்கப்படும் மூன்றாவது உயரிய விருதான பத்மபூஷன் விருதையும் பெற்றவர் அவர். ஆண்டாளை நன்கு அறிந்த அவர் இப்படி ஓர் ஆராய்ச்சியில் இறங்கியிருக்க வேண்டுமா?

காலத்தால் அழிக்க முடியாத இலக்கியம் படைத்த ஆண்டாள் தமிழர்களின் அடையாளம் ஆவார். இது ஒருபுறமிருக்க சமூக பொறுப்புள்ளவர்கள் மக்களின் உணர்வோடு விளையாடும் கருத்துக்களை வெளியிடுவதை தவிர்க்க வேண்டும். கருத்துரிமை என்பது அரசியலமைப்புச் சட்டத்தின்படி வழங்கப் பட்டுள்ளது என்றாலும் கூட, அது மற்றவர்களின் உணர்வுகளை புண்படுத்தாமல் இருக்க வேண்டும்.

தமிழகம் நல்லிணக்கத்தின் பூமி. அது காப்பாற்றப்பட வேண்டும். எனவே, எந்தவொரு மதம், எந்தவொரு சமுதாயம், எந்தவொரு நம்பிக்கை குறித்தும் வெறுப்பு கருத்துக்களை வெளியிடுவதைத் தவிர்த்து, தமிழகத்தில் அமைதி, ஒருமைப்பாடு, நல்லிணக்கம் ஆகியவை தழைத்தோங்க பங்களிக்க வேண்டும்.

கடவுளே நீயே காப்பாற்று !! HR&CE removes idols from Temple in Cuddalore

கடவுளே உன் பக்தர்களை நீயே காப்பாற்றுவாயாக

Ever wondered why some temples have so many staff while some do not ? – ever cared to know – where would the money received by donations and offerings go ? – the only purpose of such donations is for the Temple, its upkeep and the traditions behind the temple – one would be stumped to know, that the money fills the coffers of the Govt – to be used in all and sundry schemes, totally unconnected, irrelevant and at times opposed to the very purpose of such donations, against Hinduism even.  Sounds melancholic !!

திருமயிலை கயீலேச்வரம் அற்புத தோற்றம்

Tamil Nadu has a long tradition of rich culture, traditions of literature, music, dance and above all religious faith.   Those famous kings of the land, built temples, maintained the existing ones which provided employment opportunities, promoted arts and culture, acted as granaries and primarily lent people the correct way of life.  Saiva & Srivaishnavism thrived in this land of Azhwargal and Nayamnars.  The big Temples possessing most beautiful idols of the Lord had thousands of believers praying all the time – temple management in the hands of Kings, Patrons, and locals – highly educated and firm in their belief.

The benevolent people have offered land, gold, cash, elephants, horses, cows, bulls and more to the temples and also instituted funds for their continued maintenance.  Over a period of time, from the donors the management passed on to Trustees, who were locally influential good people. Years later, the Govt stepped in (sadly only in respect of Hindu places of worship and not in any other religious places !)

A few decades ago, the State took  over the reins of the temple – now the  management and control of the temples and the administration of their endowments is stated to be the  primary responsibility of the State.  [does it fit in with the present secular credentials ?] Now there is Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, a Ministry, a Department, plethora of officials with associated materials including vehicles !!  ~ now read the following article that appeared in Indian Express of date  titled ‘Officials break open temple room, shift 26 idols’  and then read the concluding paras too.

HR&CE officials with the idols at Kasi Vishwanathar-Sivagamasundari Ambal Temple | Express

CUDDALORE: The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department recovered 26 panchaloha idols from a temple here on Saturday despite local resistance and shifted them to a safer place. The government has been taking steps to move centuries-old temple idols in unsafe conditions to bigger temples, where they could be well protected. This is part of a plan to protect idols from smugglers.

As the 300-year-old Kasi Vishwanathar-Sivagamasundari Ambal Temple in Cuddalore Old Town, which comes under the control of HR&CE Department, has 26 panchaloha idols, the department has been trying to move them to well protected places. But earlier attempts by the officials did not work due to a local conflict. On Saturday, HR&CE Assistant Commissioner Renugadevi went to the temple along with police to move idols to a well-protected temple. But the locals, who have been influencing the activities of the temple, opposed and refused to give the key to the room, where the idols were kept.

Subsequently, the officials broke open the room’s lock in the presence of Village Administrative Officer Thanigachalam. Police team headed by inspector Sundarrajan was also present. The officials shifted all the 26 panchaloha idols after performing poojas and other rituals. “There are around 3,000 idols in the temples in Cuddalore district. Among them, we have identified some of them to be in unsafe conditions and hence have been moving them to the idol protection centre at Padaleeshwarar temple in Cuddalore. We are doing this with police protection,” Renugadevi said.

“So far, 182 idols from 50 temples have been shifted. That apart, we have installed surveillance camera and alarm in 105 temples. We are going to instal cameras in 70 more temples,” she said.

Does that not sound an alarm ? ~ shifting of idols that too 182 from 50 temples -  it is not simply idols but God – the presiding deities of Temples.  Such temples had been constructed only for installation of the deity and people have worshipped there for ages – now the Officials who are to manage the affairs of temple are shifting idols to ‘safe places’ – does that mean keeping the Gods in safety vaults! – if a Temple is considered not so safe, safety measures including watchman facilities should be put in place – shifting is no solution.  The DEpt which thrives on revenues from Temples should understand its basic duty of protecting the places of worship.

Though collectively called ‘Hindu temples’ – there are different agamas and other relevant things for the believer – how can a God of a particular temple be kept in a safe iron room though located in another temple.  What will be the purpose of keeping the God, if there are no daily rituals and would there be any meaning in rituals together for different Gods.  How shambolic ? – what is the wisdom of such acts by HR&CE Officials .. .. .. and why are we silent to every atrocity committed on our religion and belief.

Some fool would come on media question the faith of people donating in Temple hundis without daring to comment the same on other religions, the collections of temple would be used for non-religious purposes, then Gods are also forcibly shifted out of the temple, built in olden days with purpose and where worship had taken place for hundreds of year .. so sad is the state of affairs ?  - who will save us from these people !!!

How Hindu temples are managed ?!!?

How Hindu Temples are managed ? and how the common ordinary Baktha can only lament and do nothing about it ..

Here is an article of Firstpost reproduced in its entirety.  :  Head priest of Tirumala's Venkateshwara Temple is taking on the management and all knives are out  :  Nov, 21 2017 10:49:19 IST

What began as a clash between religious rites and the IAS management of the country’s richest temple, has now descended into mudslinging between the head priest and the officers in charge of administration. Dr AV Ramana Dikshitulu, head priest of the Vaishnavite temple of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala and one of the four agama advisors of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), is at loggerheads with the temple authorities and constantly in the news for his comments on the TTD administration and other controversies.

The latest row is over Dikshitulu taking his grandson into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple for which he was issued a show cause notice by the deputy executive officer of TTD, Kodandarama Rao. Dikshitulu did not bother with an official clarification, but asked Firstpostunofficially that when the relatives of TTD officials can go anywhere at any time, what is wrong with children of priests, who are also practicising archakas (priests), to visit the abode of Lord Venkateswara?

The priest is not in the good books of the TTD administrators, specifically three IAS officers — one executive officer (EO) and two joint executive officers (JEOs) — and three IPS officers. He has slammed the administration on issues like VIP darshans, shortening of rituals and alleged commercialisation of the temple. "None of them have respect for the traditions or practices as laid down by agamas (vedic scriptures defining traditions and rituals in the temple) and are making changes as per their whims and fancies to promote their personal influence," he told Firstpost.

In October, Dikshitulu told Firstpost, "Instead of being custodians they are using the temple of Lord Venkateswara to please industrialists, money bags, politicians in power and enhance their own personal power to beget better postings. But when an archaka offers blessings to these same people, he is blamed and reprimanded,” he said.

Dikshitulu was referring to an incident that took place on 10 April, 2010 when the head priest walked up to the Padmavati Guest House to offer ashir vachanam for industrialist Mukesh Ambani. The TTD had served him notice for violating temple norms in this instance. "If someone falls at my feet, I normally bless them. It is just like that for Ambani or anyone. There is nothing wrong in offering ashir vachanam for any devotee at any time or place," he said.

Dikshitulu also allegedly flew to Mumbai to bless the granddaughter of a politician and industrialist at her marriage. He allegedly performed sudarshana homam in Tirumala for the late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR) and his son Jaganmohan Reddy in 2009. He is also said to have made trips to Pulivendula and Hyderabad for YSR. "Why do they want the priests alone to be holier than Lord Venkateswara? Everyone mints money in the name of Balaji, but when a priest does something routine — blessing people, performing yagnas and homams for the pious, he is questioned and issued notices," he said.

 Administrators versus rituals :  Dikshitulu though is firing all guns right back. The 'vaikhasana agama' he explains, deals with rituals that are done in the temple and to the deity. Dikshitulu says that TTD officials "overdid" the rituals, their duration and also violated norms about the prescribed persons who should be present during the rituals. "Particularly for Friday abhishekham and ekantha seva, it is the wish of the officials that prevails and not the traditions," he charged, "During the last pavitrotsavams, officials went over to the vimanam (gopuram of temple) to offer puja, which is the domain of only priests, and committed sacrilege,” he added.

In view of his critical stand, Dikshitulu is often sidelined when it comes to decisions on temple duties as he has charged that officials are appointing ineligible priests to perform pavitrotsavams. Temple officials however say that they are working in adherence to agamacounseling by three other agama advisors as per section 34(3) of the TTD Act.

Dikshitulu’s charges are not entirely baseless. The JEO of TTD has the powers of a lieutenant-governor in granting shop leases, private hotels and guest houses in Tirumala and allegations of misuse of these powers abound. Incidentally, over 30 media personnel working in Tirumala and Tirupati have business interests — shops, choultries and eating joints near the temple. For example the special correspondent of a national daily is the owner of a sprawling private choulty at Tirumala. The present JEO has continued to remain in this position for seven years, despite the normal tenure being only three years.

Dikshitulu recounts how during the last Brahmotsvam, he had suggested that priests and not attendants must give harati during vahana sevas. "Devotees are put to distress and the entire show is conducted by attendants, instead of priests where the pious are pushed and heckled. Instead why doesn't TTD conduct sarkari harati at every point?" he asked. But the officials refused.

In October last year, the head priest received another jolt when the appointment of his son Venkatapathi Dikshitulu to serve on the suryaprabha vahanam during Brahmotsvam was nullified by the TTD officials. His outburst that TTD officials should not interfere in ritual affairs and that the authority of chief priest was ignored went unheeded. Dikshitulu sought the intervention of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

VIPs and Commercialising Tirumala:  The TTD is now entertaining Andhra Pradesh MLAs and MPs, sending their voters on a pilgrimage to Tirumala — with food, entertainment, travel and darshan, all free of cost. Every day at least 75 to 100 buses and trains bring about 10,000 devotees through these politicians, for whom rooms, darshan slots and laddus are reserved by TTD officials. "What is wrong in fulfilling a promise made to our voters of a Tirupati pilgrimage and also Sabarimala visit?" asked TDP MLA from Srikakulam and state minister Atcham Naidu.

The chief priest argued that rituals are cut short to make way for VIP visits. "Although they say only two hours for VIPs, almost four to five hours of valuable time is given to them both in the morning and evening to suit the convenience of the visitors — mostly politicians, relatives and friends of EOs and JEOs and influential judges, IAS and IAS officers," he said.

Dikshitulu said he was not opposed to making more laddus, and building rooms and guest houses, but that the officialdom should not interfere in traditions and rituals as prescribed in Vaikhanasa Agamas and Divya Prabhandas scripted by Sri Ramanuja and Alwars. Secondly, sanctity and holiness of the only Vaishnavite hub in the world should not be tarnished. More importantly, agama pundits and priests who for centuries have been custodians of the temple and its practices should have the final say in number of festivals and hours of darshan.

Dikshitulu, a doctorate holder in molecular biology as well as an authority on the agamas, is one of the four families of the Vaikhanasa sect of Sri Vaishnavites who are engaged in serving the Lord Venkateswara temple and other sub-temples in Tirupati and other select towns of Rayalaseema. His family has been serving as priests at the temple for over 600 years. All these were disbanded by former chief minister NT Rama Rao, who brought out a special legislation for nationalising the Tirumala shrine and all its assets and gold with the sole goal of utilising this revenue for his anti-poverty schemes.

After two decades mired in legal battles, the government has finally taken over the TTD which has over 10,000 permanent and 12,000 contract workers. Its net worth is over Rs 42,000 crore including gold, land assets and institutions. It also has Rs 13,000 crore in fixed deposits besides 8,500 kg of gold deposited in banks under various schemes.

Dikshilutu also mentioned that the Kala Jnanam predicted by Pothuluri Veera Brahmam, a sage of the 17th Century from Kadapa, that the happenings at Tirumala would soon take it back by 100 years, is coming true. "We are giving darshan to one lakh per day by giving only two hours rest for the deity, we spend more time on laddu making, cultural shows, expanding accommodation, conducting more than 10,000 weddings per annum at Tirumala. All these were predicted by Veerabrahmam in his Kala Jnanam and that all these could vanish soon," he warned.

The TTD’s Response:   When the issue was recently raised by the media as to why the TTD administration was silent over the charges by the chief priest, executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal and his assistant JEO (Tirumala) KS Srinivasa Raju sidestepped the query. "We are here to do a job, streamlining the administration, plug loopholes. We do not interfere in temple rituals, archakas’ appointments etc. But only when there is difference of opinion among the archaka community, we are drawn to interfere," said Raju. TTD executive officer Anil Kumar Singhal stated that he did not have any differences with either Dikshitulu or other agama advisors. "As long as they stick to their functions and do not advise on how to run the temple, there are no issues," he said.

Former EO KV Ramanachari told Firstpost that the charges by Dikshitulu over the VIP darshans and other mismanagement were baseless. "We are bound by government decisions and also the decisions endorsed by the TTD governing body — the TTD Board. We cannot do anything — giving permissions, selling hair, deposit gold, approve government loans or even giving VIP darshan tickets on our own as there are set precedents on how many such permissions for VIP darshans one could give in a week or a month," he added.

http://www.firstpost.com/india/head-priest-of-tirumalas-venkateshwara-temple-is-taking-on-the-management-and-all-knives-are-out-4220319.html

tail piece :  if you had liked this and felt that the Officials are wrong ~ you will totally change your views if only you were to know something of HR&CE and the way temples are managed in Tamil Nadu. In the holy Thirumala, most money is spent on development activities and pilgrim amenities at Thirumala, way to Thirumala and elsewhere – in Tamil Nadu, the offerings of the bakthas – the believers,  generates crores of revenue for the Govt which unabashedly spends it on very purposes opposed to Hinduism and the purpose for which such donations were made !  Shame.. .. sad .. and … despicable …