Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P.K. Sekarbabu on Wednesday made a record 165 announcements, covering 1,500 temples under projects worth ₹1,000 crore. They include works to renovate 80 temples that are over 1,000 years old.
Speaking during the debate on the demands for grants for his department in the Assembly, Mr. Sekarbabu said the current government was not anti-Hindu, and was working for the welfare of devotees.
He announced that six temples - Bannari Mariamman temple in Erode; Elaiyaperumal temple in Namakkal; Koneswara Swamy temple in Thiruvarur; Angalamman temple at S. Pazhaiyapalayam in Namakkal; Kailasanathar temple at Uthukadu in Thiruvarur; and Vanabadra Kaliamman temple at Thekkampatti in Coimbatore – will get Rajagopurams at a total cost of ₹27.70 crore.
The Minister said Annadhanam will be introduced in 10 more temples. The kitchens used for the scheme in five major temples would be converted into biofuel-powered kitchens at a cost of ₹1 crore. New halls would be constructed in 14 temples at a cost of ₹11 crore for the scheme.
Annadhanam would be provided to 500 devotees at the Nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli during festivals. It would also be provided to 10,000 padayatra devotees on their way to the Subramaniyaswamy temple in Palani during Thai Poosam and Panguni Uthiram festivals. The scheme for providing prasadam to all devotees would be extended to five more temples.
The department will establish a mega icon display and cultural centre in Chennai. The centre, to come up on land belonging to Kapaleeswarar temple, would house idols that have been retrieved. It would also house a spiritual library, a mini auditorium, a book stall and a publication centre.
A total of 121 goshalas would be upgraded at a cost of ₹20 crore. A new mega goshala would be established at Sundararaja Perumal temple in Kovil Pathagai at a cost of ₹20 crore to provide shelter for cattle from various temples. A new goshala would be established at a cost of ₹2.50 crore at Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam.
Eight more temple elephants would get bathing pools at a total cost of ₹1 crore. Ten monuments would be built for elephants that served in the temples.
