Ramakrishna Mutt Mylapore Kapali Temple Repossession

Temple Activist TR Ramesh, a resident of Mylapore and President of the Temple Worshipper Society is devotionally attached to the Kapaleeswarar Temple. In the past he has raised a number of issues relating to the temple and its surrounds. Last year, the temple EO D Kaveri acknowledged that it was his tweet following this writer’s story on the proposed demolition of buildings around the temple that led to suspension of the mega reconstruction plan that the HR & CE had drafted (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/07/kapali-temple-surrounds-large-scale.html). Prior to that, he had fought for the rights of the hereditary trustees of the temple and for the temple to be handed back to Poonamallee Thuluva Vellalar Marabinar Sangam from whom the rights had been taken by the HR & CE in the second half of the previous century(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/12/kapaleeswarar-temple-vellala-community.html). But the subject that is closest to his heart has been the recovery of the huge temple properties belonging to Sri Kapaleeswarar. Every time, he has found irregularities on this front, he has come out fuming and firing on all cylinders and for most part leaves the authorities in jitters for he raises genuine questions in the long term protection of the temple properties.

Ramesh is now taking up a very touchy subject, one that is likely to be sensitive to devotees. There has been a long drawn two decades old battle between the Kapaleeswarar temple and the Universal Temple of the Ramakrishna Mutt. In the early 1990s, the Mutt had sought a huge piece of land belonging to the Kapaleeswarar temple opposite the PS School to build a Universal temple. He says that the then state Government issued a G.O.  favouring the Mutt with the land alienation. “But even before the land alienation happened, the Mutt took possession of the land and started construction. Thereafter in the 2000s the succeeding Government (which is back in power now) issued a G.O. cancelling the earlier G.O.”

Interestingly as the political battle continued, the Government that originally handed the land reissued the G.O this time at a higher price. But Ramesh is not impressed as he questions the fundamental validity of this land transfer “The endowed property of Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple cannot be alienated especially by Government entities who are actually supposed to protect such temple properties. The sale is illegal - so there is no question of settling dues.”

The Universal Temple may have been constructed with a genuine intent and people may have benefitted from its activities. The Mutt had written to the EO of the Kapaleeswarar temple two decades ago that they had purchased the property following a Government order and after having secured a No Objection Certificate but Ramesh's view has been that properties of the historical Kapaleeswarar Temple has to be protected and cannot be sold off to anyone. When asked if the Universal temple was a good initiative by the Mutt and in the larger public interest, he quotes from Karl Marx “the path to hell is paved with good intentions"!!!!

He has always held the view with respect to temple lands across the state that these cannot be sold off irrespective of the intention of the sale and the noble acts of the buyer. It is the property of Sri Kapaleeswarar and that cannot be alienated.

The sale price and some interest arrears have been the bone of contention for a long time between the Government and the Mutt and legal notices have been exchanged between the two. But that is not of interest to Ramesh for he considers the sale as prima facie invalid and illegal. He told this writer that he is likely to send a notice to the Government and the HR &CE to initiate action to repossess the temple land. "Much like the Aswan Dam Project, they can transfer the Universal Temple to a site which belongs to it elsewhere in the city."

Following his series of notices and tweets in 2021, the Kapaleeswarar temple authorities have in the last nine months initiated a number of action, especially on the recovery of properties and rental arrears. Last quarter, following his call to get back hereditary trustees, the temple had put out an advertisement calling for the appointment of Trustees (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/11/tn-temples-hr-eos-out-trustees-back.html). And now is the latest issue he has raised of the illegal sale of temple land to RK Mutt. He has also held for a long time that the market rent has to be realised for all temple and endowment properties and the temple in recent times have also acted on that front issuing notices to a number of its tenants in the Mylapore area. Last month, the temple had sent a notice to the Mylapore Club seeking huge rental arrears. The Club in response has filed a writ petition in the court terming this as arbitrary and against the long term agreement between the temple and the club. 

While Ramesh, son of renowned Tamil Scholar TN Ramachandran( https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/04/tamil-scholar-tn-ramachandran-passes.html?m=1), has raised this issue, the temple authorities themselves have not asked for the property to be handed back to them except asking for the arrears in fair price of the property at the time of the sale to be made to them. But he is unfazed. His next step is to send a notice to the Government and the HR & CE to take steps to recover the temple property that had been illegally transferred.

Is Ramesh looking only for the Mutt to hand back the property to the temple and get back the price paid by them for the purchase. His answer is likely to leave the Mutt in a state of shock “The money paid by them for the (illegal) purchase in the 1990s should be adjusted towards fair market rent of the property (if the temple had let out this huge land) in the last couple of decades. Based on that, it is likely that the Mutt would probably have to pay lot more money now to the Kapaleeswarar temple while handing back the property.”