CHENNAI, INDIA, May, 2012 (Deccan Chronicle): The state government has initiated steps to identify and restore temple lands whose rights were wrongly issued to private individuals.
“The pattas (registrations) of 468.87 acres of temple lands belonging to 107 temples that were erroneously transferred on to the names of private persons was restored in the names of temples,” says a policy note on the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR & CE) department tabled by its minister M.S.M. Anandan, in the Assembly on Tuesday.
All these errors came to light while updating temple registry. During 2011-12, pattas for 167.48 acres of lands belonging to 8 temples were restored. Also, about 119.71 acres of encroached lands have been retrieved.
[HPI note: During the time of the British rule, enormous swaths of land near Chidambaram temple, legally registered as belonging to “Nataraja,” were claimed by people whose given name was Nataraja. In spite of protests, the British did not stop the slow misappropriation of the temple’s possessions.]