State Mulling Release of 40 Temples from Govt Control
Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Feb 11: Buoyed by the government’s move to deregulate the Gokarn temple in Uttara Kannada district from the control of the state muzrai department, several temples have reportedly being bringing pressure on the state government to hand over the temples to the local families or trusts, by deleting them from the list of temples under the government control. The number of temples which want to come out of the government control in the state at present, is around forty.

It is said that the government is readying to release two temples, Ambalpady Janardana Mahakali temple in Udupi, and Anegudde Lord Vinayaka Temple near Kundapur, from the department’s hold. Intense lobbying through persons in eminent positions as well as politicians is going on, to pressurize the state government to denotify these temples that are cash rich, as influential local people and families want to manage those temples that attract large number of people, and which are able to collect huge funds through donations, services and other offerings. Most of these temples are located in Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts. These temples have been feeling that they have a chance to wriggle out of the government control, after the Uniform Endowment Act 1997 on temples, enacted by the state government, was struck down by the High Court some time back.

At present, huge tracts of lands owned by these temples have been encroached upon by individuals, and the government has failed to evict them from the temple properties. It is said that the government is planning to ignore pleas received by it against denotifying these temples, and is planning to go ahead to hand these temples back to the control of families that used to run the temples before the government took over.