CUDDALORE: Podhu Dikshitars have denied the claims of the state government, made before the the Madras High Court, that they have sold the land of the Natarajar temple. The dikshitars clarified the temple land is under the control of a special tahsildar, as per a government order.
Addressing the media on Friday evening, U Vengatesa Dikshitar, secretary of the Natarajar Temple Podhu Committee and lawyer G Chandrasekhar said, “The hearing of the petitions filed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department, which demanded the temple accounts and sought to stop the ongoing construction works took place at the Madras High Court on Thursday. Our temple lawyers submitted a sealed cover containing account details of the past decade.”
Chandrasekhar explained the temple’s puja and maintenance are supported by contributions from foundations and the income of the dikshitars, which has been clearly mentioned in the submitted accounts. “As per the G.O, nearly 3,000 acres of temple land are under the control of a special tahsildar (temple lands). Occasionally, drafts from these land’s income are directly sent to Tangedco for electricity bill payments. However, the income is insufficient for the bills, and the remaining amount is paid by City Union Bank as donation,” he said.
He further added during the hearing, the temple’s lawyer pointed out that only Rs 93,000 was shown as income from 1,000 acres of temple land, even though the total land spans over 3,000 acres, as confirmed through an RTI query. “In response, the government pleader made unsubstantiated allegations that the Dikshitars had sold 2,000 acres of land. He overlooked the fact that the temple’s income was recorded as Rs 2 lakh in the accounts submitted to the court on September 5,” Chandrasekhar added.
Vengatesa Dikshitar clarified, “If we do not deny these claims now, it will tarnish our reputation. Already, false information is being spread among the public, despite the court condemning it,” he said.
Chandrasekhar added the temple land under the HR&CE department’s control cannot be registered or sold. “Even the donor or their heirs cannot sell this land. If the HR&CE department continues to tarnish the reputation of Podhu Dikshitars in the land issue, we will pursue legal action,” he added.