Chennai, Oct 12 : Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister P. K. Sekar Babu on Sunday said the state government has sanctioned Rs 425 crore for restoring and protecting temples that are more than a thousand years old.

He said 68 such temples have already been renovated using government, temple, and donor funds, as part of Chief Minister M. K. Stalin's efforts to preserve Tamil Nadu's spiritual heritage.

Sekar Babu, along with Handlooms and Textiles Minister R. Gandhi, handed over 53.386 kg of unused temple gold from four temples in Kanchipuram district to State Bank of India (SBI) Regional Manager Senthil Kumar.

The gold, collected from the Kanchi Kamakshi Amman, Kundrathur Subramania Swamy, Thiruvidanthai Nithya Kalyana Perumal, and Thirumalai Vaiyavur Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temples, will be melted at the government's plant in Mumbai and deposited under the Gold Monetisation Scheme.

The event was held in the presence of retired Supreme Court judge Justice Duraiswamy Raju.

After the handover, the ministers planted a sapling at the ancient Ekambaranathar Temple and inspected the Rs 29 crore restoration works in progress. Officials were instructed to speed up the works so that the reconsecration (kumbhabhishekam) could be held on December 8. The temple's renovation is being funded through Rs 12.75 crore from the state government, Rs 8.99 crore from the Commissioner's welfare fund, Rs 6.84 crore from temple funds, and Rs 41 lakh from donors.

Speaking to reporters, Sekar Babu said that since the DMK came to power, a "golden era for spiritual administration" has begun, with 3,707 temples already reconsecrated in accordance with Agama principles.

The HR&CE Department's gold monetisation project, he said, is implemented under the supervision of retired judges Justice Duraiswamy Raju, Justice Ravichandra Babu, and Justice Selvi Mala. So far, 1,074.123 kg of purified gold collected from 21 temples has been deposited in the SBI, earning Rs 17.76 crore in annual interest, which is reinvested into temple development.

Another 378.619 kg of unused gold from 13 temples has been prepared for melting, including the 53.386 kg handed over on Sunday.

The minister said that public contributions for temple projects have reached a record Rs 1,528 crore across 11,845 projects during the DMK government's tenure. The department has issued 844 government orders since 2021, implementing 65 per cent of them so far. He added that the government is following a compassionate approach toward residents on temple lands by regularising occupancy and collecting fair rent as per the late Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi's policy.

Around Rs 650 crore in arrears has been recovered, he said.

Plans are also in place to establish organised parking near temples in Kanchipuram, while the Rs 9 crore golden chariot for Nanganallur Anjaneyar Temple will be ready by January 2026.

The golden chariot for the Kanchi Ekambaranathar Temple will also be completed soon. Joint Commissioner Vanmathi will be appointed as a special officer to oversee temple restoration works.

/IANS