Idol registrations in Tamil Nadu temples, which are maintained by the Hindu Religious Charitable and Endowments (HR&CE), have only moved forward at an extremely slow pace, with the Archaeological Survey of India, which was responsible for the registrations, has only as of now registered only 150 such religious icons, reports The Times of India.
The registration process includes things such as photographs, size of the artefact and its location; the process of registration is useful in case an antique statue is stolen and even smuggled out of the state.
ASI, in the past year, has only been able to register objects at less than 50 temples, while the state has around 1.5 lakh idols, other sculptures and heritage objects in about 36,000 temples which fall under the administration of the HR&CE. Last year saw only 150 registrations, whereas, in the past 40 years, there were approximately 40,000 registered temple artefacts.
"Paucity of staff is a major bottleneck for registrations. A dedicated registering officer is needed to speed up the process in the absence of which, the process has taken a backseat" said an ASI official.
Archaeological veterans emphasise the urgency of getting more human resources to continue with the registration process.
An Appeal...
Dear Reader,
As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. We do not have the muscle and backing of a large media conglomerate nor are we playing for the large advertisement sweep-stake.
Our business model is you and your subscription. And in challenging times like these, we need your support now more than ever.
We deliver over 10 - 15 high quality articles with expert insights and views. From 7AM in the morning to 10PM late night we operate to ensure you, the reader, get to see what is just right.
Becoming a Patron or a subscriber for as little as Rs 1200/year is the best way you can support our efforts.