Chandigarh, Nov 22 (IANS): The Haryana government on Wednesday decided to take over the management of the ancient historical Shri Mata Chandi Devi Temple, Chandi Mandir, Panchkula.
The cabinet also decided to take over Shri Durga Mata Mandir at Banbhori in Hisar district.
A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here on Wednesday.
The name of Chandigarh, the first planned city in post-independent India, comes from the Mata Chandi temple.
A state government spokesman said that the management of this temple would be administered under Article 2 (h) of the Shri Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Act, 1991, a famous Hindu shrine located in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh.
"The decision to take over management of the Shri Mata Chandi Devi Temple was taken in the wake of numerous complaints against the administration, management and governance of the temple by the current group of Pujaris, who acquired the temple after the death of former Pujari who had executed a Will in favour of Pujari Shri Surat Giri and his successors," the spokesman said.
He said that sufficient offerings are made in cash and kind in this temple by the devotees, but very little amount is being spent on the upkeep of the temple or in providing facilities to the pilgrims in or around the temple.
"On the basis of the complaints, even a First Information Report was registered. The Khair trees were also being sold without any authority of law and the trees were being cut in contravention of the instructions of the government regarding cutting of trees. It was found from the perusal of the file that according to earlier Jamabandi for 1936-37, this land was owned by Gram Panchayat, Chandi Mandir, and this present land was given to the Mandir by the Sarpanch and other Panches of the Gram Panchayat," he pointed out.
The temple, connected with the Pandavas and the state capital of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh, has derived its name from Chandimandir. The Army's Western Command, a frontier command guarding the western and parts of north-eastern frontiers of the country, is headquartered at Chandimandir, about 15 km from Chandigarh.
The cabinet also decided to take over the management of the Shri Durga Mata Mandir at Banbhori.
"The decision to take over the management of the temple was taken in view of the difficulties experienced by the pilgrims and devotees and lack of facilities. The decision also aimed at putting an end to open plundering of the temple and sale of properties under the Haryana Shri Durga Mata Mandir, Banbhori Shrine Act, 2017," the spokesman said.
At present, the management of the temple rests in the hands of the family of a Pujari due to which law and order problems and mismanagement prevail there. The temple receives offerings worth Rs 14 to Rs 15 crore annually and the whole income remains in the hands of one Pujari, he added.
He said that it was necessary to take over the management, control and governance of the temple to save the pilferage of income and property amounting to crores of rupees.
"The temple does not maintain any record of the income and the family of the Pujari uses whole income of the temple for their personal purposes," he added.