Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin
Credit: PTI Photo
Chief Minister M K Stalin-led DMK dispensation, which continues to battle the ‘anti-Hindu’ image imposed by the BJP and right-wing organisations, has conducted kumabishekham (consecration ceremonies) in 4,000 temples managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department after it assumed office in May 2021.
“This is an achievement never heard of in the history of Tamil Nadu. There is no place for communal politics in the state,” Stalin said in a social media post, taking a swipe at the BJP for continuing to raise controversial issues like lighting of Deepam at the Lord Murugan temple in Thiruparankundram near Madurai.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the Dravidian model of governance follows an inclusive approach and respects all faiths. The 4,000th consecration ceremony was held at Arulmigu Semathamman Thirukkovil in Perambur in Chennai, Stalin said, adding that the record number of ceremonies were conducted in 1,728 days.
The 1,000th consecration ceremony was held in 2023 at the Kasi Viswanathar Temple in West Mambalam here, 2000th at the Keezhaparasalaur Veerateswarar Temple in 2024, 3000th at the Thirupugalur Agneeswarar Temple in Nagapattinam district.
“Agama shastra says consecration ceremony has to be conducted in a temple every 12 years. Of the 4,000 temples, as many as 80 are over 1,000-year-old and in Kanyakumari district alone, we covered 133 temples. This is a continuous process, and we are committed to preserving temples,” HR&CE minister P K Sekarbabu told DH.
Sekarbabu said the DMK government, for the first time in the history, allotted Rs 450 crore for preserving temples that are over 1,000 years old. “Conducting consecration ceremonies in 4,000 temples in four years is no simple task. It would not have been possible without the CM’s directions and support from officials,” Sekarbabu added.
The department has also recovered over 7,550 acres of land worth over Rs 7,800 crore in four years, amid continuous campaign by the BJP to free temples from government control.
Stalin has been making a conscious effort to shed the anti-Hindu image that the DMK has acquired over the years. And to send a strong message that he is not against any faith, Stalin chose the HR & CE office in Chennai to launch a drive to plant 1 lakh saplings on his father M Karunanidhi’s 3rd death anniversary on August 7, 2021.
Stalin also wrote himself into history by appointing 58 trained persons from non-Brahmin communities, including two from Scheduled Caste (SC), as priests in temples, implementing fully an order passed by his father during his 2006-2011 tenure. These men were trained under the then Karunanidhi regime as part of the Dravidian movement’s social justice agenda.
The department has also turned its focus on increasing the revenue of temples and enhancing services provided to devotees by asking each temple to have a master plan. As many as 44,121 temples in Tamil Nadu come under the HR & CE department which manages and controls them.