The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has warned private individuals against operating websites for temples under its purview.
"These sites are used by certain persons who are connected with the temple in some way or the other. They run tour packages, allow devotees to make bookings for pujas and they in turn block tickets for the rituals in the temples," explained HR&CE Minister P. K. Sekarbabu.
He said such sites could be found offering their services at temples that were popular among devotees for performing pariharams (prayers offering remedies). “The temples do not get the income generated from such pujas. The ‘puja operator’ gets the amount. They arrange for everything, including stay, food, transport and the rituals,” he said.
Meanwhile, Commissioner HR&CE J. Kumarabaran has issued a directive to temples stating that they should close down websites being operated on their behalf by local firms. "There is no guarantee that the data would be safe since they are not equipped to provide safety protocols. Recently, a data breach happened on one such website and damage control had to be done," he said.
The Commissioner has advised all temples to ensure that their websites are designed and managed by the National Informatics Centre. "The server is with ELCOT and the added advantage is that all the websites would have the same level of safety and content can also be moderated. We are providing links to temples from our website," he said.
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