HR & CE Temple Funds

Last week’s direction by the HR & CE Commissioner to the ‘rich’ temples in the State to hand over a part of their funds (Hundi collections) to the TN Government Corona relief fund has shaken the archaka community. With the temples under ‘devotee’ lockdown (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/temples-lockdown-1960s-70s.html) for over a month, the archakas who were already under stress with the pitiable salary paid to them by the HR & CE are facing a bigger challenge now with the going away of the ‘Thattu Kaasu’.

In the Thirukural is a verse ‘ஆ பயன் குன்றும் அறுதொழிலோர் நூல் மறப்பர் காவலன் காவான் எனின்’ denoting the importance of the role of the ruler of the Land. If the ruler does not take care of his subjects and does not give them their fair dues, the cow count will decrease and the Brahmins whose job it is to chant and teach the Vedas will leave and go to other jobs.

While HR & CE receives about 16% of the income of the temple to meet its expenses and for its administrative services, the salary of priests in the HR & CE administered temples has remained static for decades. The fortunate archakas now receive in the low 1000s while most in the 40000+ temples continue to receive salary in the 100s. 

The revival of temples that started as a slow process in the 1990s turned into a devotional wave in the 2000s with devotees now thronging temples in huge numbers especially those that are positioned as providing relief to their problems – Parikara Sthalams, Prarthana Sthalams and the like. The thattu kaasu for archakas belonging to such temples has increased manifold in recent years. But so has the corpus of the HR & CE with temple funds (fixed deposits) running into around Rs. 300 crores.

But a large number of temples including Divya Desams and Paadal Petra Sthalams have still not seen the light of the day with archaka salary and thattu kaasu still being below par.

The current salary paid to priests and temple servants in remote temples managed by HR & CE  is so abysmal that even the basic survival is becoming increasingly difficult for these priests. A priest at the Vilvanathar temple in Pathamadai is paid a salary of Rs. 19 per month while at the historical and ancient Kailasanathar temple in Brahmadesam, the priest is paid a salary of just over Rs. 200.

The renowned Vasan Bhattar, who is a father figure to hundreds of Priests in the Chozha region has been at the Therazhundur Divya Desam for over 30 years, himself gets only around Rs. 300 as his monthly salary. In many temples in the state, salary is paid only once in 6 months or once a year around Deepavali.

Private Sambhavanai more than official Salary
Even in the now popular Nava Tirupathi Divya Desams on the Eastern Side of Tirunelveli, the official salaries from the HR&CE to most priests continues to be lower than the monthly 'Sambhavanai' paid by Venu Srinivasan!!

One has to wonder as to how a priest can run a family with such a low income all through his life. In most remote temples, the priest is left all alone to take care of all the daily maintenance work as well in addition to performing the pooja.

For long there has been the critical need to revise upwards the salary of these priests to a reasonable level. It is hoped that the HR & CE will realize the unfair treatment meted out to priests in thousands of temples across the state and fix a fair pay scale that will give financial respectability to the priests. But that is towards safeguarding the longer term future of the priests.

During the period of the lockdown, it was Venu Srinivasan’s trust that rose up again and surprised the priests in the Nava Tirupathi region and elsewhere (including Srirangam) with an additional Sambhavanai in the beginning of April but the question remains as to how much can one or a few trusts do (https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/aid-for-priests-and-vaidikas/article31360982.ece) – a story where this writer’s lock down story was tagged - and for how long and in what size. Surely, that is not a sustenance model that the archakas can bank on.

While there has been some relief with contributions coming in from private individuals and trusts, the priests may come under a lot of stress in the near term. Given the current trend, it is unlikely that the temples will open up for large devotee gathering anytime in the near future. It may be months before devotees in full force are allowed back into temples. The utsavam and street processions too are unlikely to happen anywhere in the near future. Given this scenario,  the HR & CE that administers a large number of temples in the state has to step in and ensure that the archakas and service personnel are taken care of, financially.

Financial Plight of archakas

The State Government's relief measures for the priests and the service personnel in TN temples, especially those in remote locations so far in the last one month has been meager. The priests who have been serving in temples for several decades at a salary in the hundreds have not received any special attention even during this lockdown (except for one payment of Rs. 1000) while they continue to perform daily pooja every day of the month through the period of the lockdown.

In the current scenario, when the financial plight of the priests is so bad with a salary that is below the daily ‘minimum wages’ and with no Thattu Kaasu for over a month, is it right for the Government to take away the funds belonging to temples for common relief measures, elsewhere. One does not have an objection with the Government’s intention of serving the needy in this exceptional environment but at what cost. It falls to the government to initiate steps in order to secure for the priests in TN temples a decent living and minimum wages. And to ensure the financial sustenance in such times.

Else with a salary below minimum wages and with no thattu kaasu, the priests will continue to remain a frustrated lot and a voiceless one at that.