VELLORE: The Dharma Sthapanam which administers the Jalakandeswarar temple inside the historic Vellore fort is gearing up for a long court battle following the HR&CE department’s recent decision to freeze its kumbabhishekam committee’s bank account, before revoking it later on.
Temple administrators claim that the action was taken without serving prior notice and they alleged it is sub judice. The tussle started with a controversial decision by Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE) to issue a notification for the appointment of trustees in the temple built in 1981. “Opposing the move, we filed a petition with the Madras High Court in 2013. The case is still pending,” said sthabanam’s secretary S Suresh Kumar.
HR&CE has apparently frozen the account taking exception to the conduct of a kumbabhishekam without appointment of temple trustees. “Proceeding further on these affairs without waiting for the court’s final verdict is not acceptable,” Suresh Kumar told DT Next and added that they were looking at approaching the court.
Temple administrators said they were shocked when they came to learn that local HR&CE officials had frozen the bank account of the kumbabhishekam committee just prior to the event on June 25, Suresh Kumar said. “They didn’t even serve a notice,” he said.
Temple administrators state that the freezing of accounts was made known to the committee by the bank manager concerned. But HR&CE revoked its decision once the decision created a public hue and cry, sources said. Suresh Kumar claimed the action was taken as local HR&CE officials were infuriated that the kumbabhishekam would take place without sanction of the local department top brass and the appointment of temple trustees, as desired by HR&CE.
“They failed to realise that we had already conducted three kumbabishekam earlier despite the issue over ‘fit person’ to conduct the ritual,” Suresh Kumar added. When approached HR&CE department sources said that they had received only 2 applications for the position of temple trustee till date. “We anticipate getting more applications as the deadline for applying is July 14, an official added. This is the fourth kumbabhisekam conducted at the Jalakandeswarar temple after the presiding deity was consecrated by March 1981.