With Waqf Bill Under Discussion In Lok Sabha, Looking Back At How Waqf Board Claimed An Entire TN Village And Its Temple

In a much-anticipated move, the central government has introduced a Bill to amend the Waqf Act.

Even as the discussion on the Bill is underway in the Lok Sabha, here is one such instance of how residents of Tiruchendurai in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchirappalli district were shocked to learn that the Waqf Board had claimed ownership of their village, including the Manendiyavalli Sametha Chandrasekhara Swamy temple, which is over 1000 years old.

The issue came to light in 2022 when Rajagopal attempted to register a land transaction. Registration officials informed him that he needed a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Waqf Board in Chennai.

Rajagopal then informed other villagers of the issue, who then questioned the board’s claim as they had all requisite documents like patta, encumbrance certificate etc.

Allur Prakash, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader asked if the 369 acres of land said to be owned by the temple as per documents was also Waqf property.

The Waqf Board chairman however maintained that all of it was their property. He said that there was no restriction on a temple being part of Waqf land. 

Days after the protest, villagers were granted interim relief and registrations were allowed as per the normal process. 

According to information shared by noted Tamil historian TS Krishnan in a thread on X, written after the controversy emerged, the temple was renovated by Budhi Aditha Pidari, the daughter-in-law of Parantaka Chola. 

He added that the Archaeological Survey of India has details of 36 inscriptions mentioning donations of land made by Budhi Aditha Pidari for purposes like food and the perpetual lighting of a lamp in the temple.

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