CHENNAI: Temples maintained by the Hindu religious and charitable endowments department will now be measured not only on the basis of income, but on location, age, history, agama, inscriptions, heritage and architectural aspects among others.
About 20 retired archaeological experts have been roped in to grade 41,825 temples.
While the move will help renovate several dilapidated heritage temples, it will also enable the department to improve infrastructure and facilities in other temples to get them on the spiritual tourism map. It will also pave the way for study of inscriptions and manuscripts.
Former officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and state archaeology department will grade temples in 20 regions based on location, age, history, agama, method of worship, material used for construction, whether sung by saints, unique and literary features, availability of inscriptions, heritage and architectural aspects, method of worship.
They will also execute documentation and conditional mapping of dilapidated temples to prepare a detailed project report for conservation and maintenance. The advisors will also help preserve antique idols and registration of relics with ASI. The registration is essential to prevent the smuggling of artefacts and their retrieval from abroad. So far, temples have been graded only based on income. Of the 41,825 temples maintained by the HR and CE department, at least 8,000 are heritage structures that are more than 100 years old.
HR and CE commissioner J Kumaragurubaran said it was for time that archaeological experts are part of the conservation wing. “So far, the 100 employees were all technical and construction experts.”
C Santhalingam, former archaeology officer in the state archaeology department now made advisor for Madurai region, said inscriptions would be studied to ascertain the age temples. “We will also suggest what type of modern material that should not be used in heritage structures such as ceramic tiles on the floors.”
V K T Balan, president of Tamil Nadu Tour Travel and Hospitality Association, said 75% of all domestic and international tourists visiting TN came for spiritual tourism. “TN must include historical temples, those with archaeological relevance and customs in places of worship in the district tourist circuit.”
