Temples deposit over 53 kg of gold under HR&CE investment scheme
The gold, consisting of unused and donated ornaments from temples, was formally handed over at the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple’s Navaratri Mandapam
State Handloom Minister R Gandhi and HR&CE Minister P.K. Sekar Babu were part of the event
CHENNAI: In a step under the HR&CE department’s gold investment scheme, authorities on Wednesday handed over 53.39 kg of gold from four temples in Kancheepuram to the Bank of Baroda for deposit.
The gold, consisting of unused and donated ornaments from temples, was formally handed over at the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple’s Navaratri Mandapam. The ceremony was attended by State Handloom Minister R Gandhi and HR&CE Minister PK Sekarbabu.
The gold will be sent to the Union government’s mint in Mumbai to be melted down and invested in a gold deposit scheme. This initiative is designed to generate significant revenue for the temples.
The four temples involved in this phase are the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple, Kunrathur Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruvidanthai Nithya Kalyana Perumal Temple, and Tirumalai Vaiyavoor Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal Temple.
Minister Sekarbabu said, “An additional 308 kg of gold from 18 other temples is slated to be handed over by the end of this month. So far, 1,074 kg of gold from temples across Tamil Nadu has been melted at the Mumbai mint.”
This existing investment is already generating an annual revenue of approximately Rs 17 crore for the state’s temple fund, which is used for development and maintenance works.
After the handover ceremony, the ministers reviewed the renovation work at the ancient Ekambaranathar Temple in Kancheepuram, going on at a cost of Rs 28 crore. They instructed officials to expedite the work.
Minister Sekarbabu announced that kumbabhishekam (consecration ceremony) of the temple is scheduled on December 8.
“This is the first such ceremony for the temple in 17 years. The project cost is being funded by a government allocation of Rs 12 crore, and Rs 16 crore collected from donors,” he stated, and highlighted the government’s broader efforts in temple conservation.
“Following Agamic rules, which recommend a kumbabhishekam every 12 years, a total of 3,707 temples have undergone the consecration ceremony so far. Furthermore, the state government has allocated Rs 100 crore annually for the restoration of 1,000-year-old temples. Under this scheme, 527 temples have been identified and are being restored at Rs 425 crore,” he elaborated.
The minister also noted an unprecedented inflow of donor contributions of around Rs 1,512 crore, which he stated was unmatched in any previous period. “Overall, 65% of the 844 government announcements related to temple works have been successfully implemented, demonstrating significant progress in the state’s temple administration and conservation efforts,” claimed the minister.