HR&CE Department requests devotees to assist in identification of Agamic temples in Tamil Nadu

The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has appealed to devotees to help verify the list of Agamic temples created by an expert committee, providing feedback on any changes or additions required. The State Government formed the committee in October 2025, in response to court orders from the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court concerning Archaka appointments.

The Supreme Court stipulated that after the identification of Agamic temples, vacancies in non-Agamic temples could be addressed. Out of the 46,341 temples under the department’s control, including charitable endowments, specific endowments, Jain temples, and mutts, 43,676 are temples, 45 are mutts, 80 are temples combined with mutts, 1,216 are specific endowments, 1,301 are charitable endowments, and 23 are Jain temples.

An initial list of 34,971 temples was prepared by the committee of experts, and devotees are invited to submit their comments within 30 days. The public can submit their input either in person at the Commissioner’s office of HR&CE or via the department’s website. The comments must be in English, written as complete sentences, and must adhere to the community guidelines prohibiting abusive or personal remarks.