Chennai, Oct 12 (NationPress) The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister, P. K. Sekar Babu, announced on Sunday that the state government has allocated Rs 425 crore for the restoration and safeguarding of temples that are over a millennium old.

In his statement, he revealed that 68 temples have already undergone renovations using funds from government, temple resources, and donations, as part of Chief Minister M. K. Stalin’s initiative to uphold Tamil Nadu's spiritual legacy.

Alongside Handlooms and Textiles Minister R. Gandhi, Sekar Babu presented 53.386 kg of unused temple gold from four temples in the Kanchipuram district to State Bank of India (SBI) Regional Manager Senthil Kumar.

This gold, sourced from the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman, Kundrathur Subramania Swamy, Thiruvidanthai Nithya Kalyana Perumal, and Thirumalai Vaiyavur Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temples, is set to be melted at the government facility in Mumbai and will be deposited under the Gold Monetisation Scheme.

The event was graced by retired Supreme Court Justice Duraiswamy Raju.

Subsequent to the handover, the ministers planted a sapling at the ancient Ekambaranathar Temple and evaluated the ongoing Rs 29 crore restoration efforts. Officials were directed to expedite the work to ensure the reconsecration (kumbhabhishekam) can occur on December 8. The temple renovation is financed by Rs 12.75 crore from the state government, Rs 8.99 crore from the Commissioner’s welfare fund, Rs 6.84 crore from temple funds, and Rs 41 lakh from donors.

During a press conference, Sekar Babu noted that since the DMK took office, a “golden era for spiritual administration” has commenced, with 3,707 temples already reconsecrated following Agama guidelines.

The HR&CE Department's gold monetisation initiative, he stated, is overseen by retired judges Justice Duraiswamy Raju, Justice Ravichandra Babu, and Justice Selvi Mala. To date, 1,074.123 kg of refined gold from 21 temples has been deposited with SBI, generating Rs 17.76 crore in annual interest, which is reinvested into temple development.

Additionally, 378.619 kg of unused gold from 13 temples is ready for melting, including the 53.386 kg presented on Sunday.

The minister remarked that public donations for temple initiatives have soared to Rs 1,528 crore across 11,845 projects during the DMK administration. The department has issued 844 government orders since 2021, with 65 percent of them already implemented. He emphasized that the government is adopting a compassionate stance towards residents on temple lands by regularizing occupancy and implementing fair rent in line with the late Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s policy.

He noted that approximately Rs 650 crore in arrears has been recovered.

Plans are underway to create organized parking near temples in Kanchipuram, and the Rs 9 crore golden chariot for Nanganallur Anjaneyar Temple is expected to be completed by January 2026.

The golden chariot for the Kanchi Ekambaranathar Temple will also be finished shortly. Joint Commissioner Vanmathi will serve as a special officer to supervise temple restoration efforts.