CHENNAI, INDIA, November 16, 2005: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalailthaa today increased the monthly pension for temple priests from Rs. 500 (US$11.36) to Rs. 750 ($17.05). This would benefit 3,247 people, including temple priests, Othuvaars (those who recite Thevaram hymns in temple), Araiyars (those who chant sacred Tamil hymns in Vishnu temples) and Vedaparayanars (those who recite Vedas) and musicians. This would entail an annual expenditure of $663,636 to the State exchequer. Priests working in all the temples under the purview of Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department and those working in small temples in villages which were not covered under the HR and CE department, would be benefitted by this, she said in a statement. HPI note: We take “pension” to mean monthly salary, and not a retirement pension, as we just recently received firsthand information that priests in one of Chennai’s largest temples were paid a monthly salary of Rs. 500.
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