Temple land in trouble: Devaswom Boards lose 31,000 acres of land to encroachment

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Devaswom boards in Kerala have lost around 31,000 acres of land to encroachment and illegal occupation, with the Malabar Devaswom Board accounting for the largest share, according to an inspection by the Devaswom Audit Wing of the State Audit Department.

The Malabar Devaswom Board has lost 24,693.22 acres of land belonging to 1,341 temples, leaving it with only 3,112.20 acres. The board has managed to recover just 3.31 acres so far. The Kozhikode division alone accounts for 22,393.12 acres of the loss, followed by Malappuram with 9,560 acres and Thalassery with 2,122.69 acres. Kasaragod and Palakkad have lost 68.46 acres and 13.35 acres, respectively. In the absence of stringent action, even laterite quarrying is reportedly taking place on land belonging to the Thaliparamba Rajarajeshwara Temple.

The Koodalmanikyam Devaswom has lost or transferred around 5,568.99 acres. The Cochin Devaswom Board has reported encroachment on 30.195 acres across Thrissur, Ernakulam and Palakkad districts, of which only 8.25 acres has been recovered. The board has 48 related cases pending. The Supreme Court recently ruled that the Ernakulathappan Ground belongs to the Cochin Devaswom Board. The Travancore Devaswom Board has lost around 494 acres, while more than one acre under the Guruvayur Devaswom in Thrissur district remains alienated.

Digital survey seen as way forward

The government is continuing efforts to evict encroachers, but the absence or loss of accurate land records has created difficulties in several cases. The issue also involves multiple government departments. A considerable portion of temple land was lost during the implementation of land reform laws, while some occupants subsequently obtained title deeds.

M.G. Rajamanikyam, Devaswom (Revenue) Secretary, said a digital survey was essential to protect temple land. Once the survey is completed, steps can be taken to identify and recover encroached Devaswom land. Measures will also be initiated to digitise temple assets and protect the land currently under their possession.