Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE Department) is a department under the Government of Tamil Nadu, India, that handles the administration of temples in the state. Formed under the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act XXII of 1959, the department administers 46,331 properties, including 43,800 Hindu temples, 22 Jain temples, 45 mutts, 69 temples attached to mutts, 1,262 charitable endowments, and 1,133 special endowments across the state.
History
In 1923, the Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act was passed by Madras Presidency. The legislation was initiated under the Justice Party government; after questions about the technical validity of the original enactment (Madras Act I of 1925), a second comprehensive statute was passed in late 1926 as the Hindu Religious Endowments Act (Madras Act II of 1927), the date by which the Act is known in most later literature.:28
In 1925, the Government constituted "The Hindu Religious Endowments Board" consisting of a president and two to four commissioners nominated by the government to function as a statutory body, vested with the general superintendence of all religious endowments.:57
Under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act (Madras Act XIX of 1951), the board was replaced by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (Administration) Department, an executive department of the government, formed in 1952.:3 The statutory framework was revised by Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act XXII of 1959 which came into force with effect from 28 April 1960.
Since 1991, religious and spiritual leaders have been involved in the maintenance and administration of the Hindu temples and charitable endowments.[citation needed] However, the maintenance and administration of the Jain temples are under the administration of Jain religious and spiritual leaders.
The act controls 36,425 temples, 56 mathas or religious orders (and 47 temples belonging to mathas), 1,721 specific endowments and 189 trusts.
The department's inception saw numerous companies managing their Public Relations (PR) and Social Media Management. Currently, the responsibility is entrusted to the Chennai-based branding firm, 7 miles per second, overseeing PR and Social Media Management operations.
Schemes
Annadhanam Scheme is conducted in 746 Temples and 50 to 300 devotees are provided with mid-day meals after Uchikala Pooja. Every year Special Rejuvenation camp is held for elephants from temples and mutts across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. In 2020-2021, the 48-day long camp was held at Thekampatti on the banks of River Bhavani. Spiritual and Moral Instruction classes were conducted in 485 temples by scholars. Various welfare schemes for temple employees and Nathaswara artists were also performed by this department. This department publishes an electronic magazine called Thiru Koil at its official website.
Temples
Below are a few temples maintained by the department.
123"அறநிலையத்துறை". Government of Tamil Nadu – Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Department. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
123Presler, Franklin A. (1987). Religion Under Bureaucracy: Policy and Administration for Hindu Temples in South India. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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