Immovable assets of 34,563 temples to be registered in the name of gods in Karnataka

With an aim to simplify temple property management and put an end to misuse, Karnataka's state government has decided to accelerate the registration of immovable assets, primarily land, owned by 34,563 temples across the state in the name of their respective presiding deities.

The goal of the decision is to overcome disputes arising out of ownership ambiguities, said a Times of India report.

The state's Muzrai department points towards notable progress in the documentation of properties, especially in Bengaluru, where the registration process of 10 major temples has been taken up already. Bengaluru Rural district is at the forefront in terms of number of registrations over the last six months, with 156 properties belonging to various temples registered in the name of their presiding gods, the report mentioned.

Several other districts, including Dakshina Kannada (88), Chamarajanagar (84), and Tumakuru (82) are next in line.

In 2020, the order regarding detailed survey and digitisation of temple records was made so as to consolidate multi-crore worth of immovable properties associated with a number of temples across the state. Thereafter, in 2021, the government took a decisive step to register all surveyed and demarcated immovable properties in the name of gods.

Muzrai Minister Ramalinga Reddy told TOI that the statenow holds absolute ownership over these properties, thereby putting an end to unilateral control of a few individuals.

He further said that since time immemorial, many kingdoms and rulers had granted extensive land to temples -- their value has reached thousands of crores today.

Meanwhile, senior BJP MLC N Ravikumar pointed towards encroachment on temple properties in Bengaluru. He advocated for the registration of temple properties in the name of the presiding deity, similar to how Wakf Board manages property belonging to Masjids.

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