Devaswom (Sanskrit: Property of God) are socio-religious trusts in India that comprise members nominated by both government and community. Their aim is to manage Hindu temples and their assets and to ensure their smooth operation in accordance with traditional rituals and customs. The devaswom system notably exists in the state of Kerala, where most temples are either managed by Government of Kerala-controlled devaswoms or formed by private bodies/families. The properties of each temple are deemed to be the personal property of the presiding deity the temple and are managed through a body of trustees who bear allegiance to the presiding deity.
Contents
- Revenues
- Travancore Devaswom Board
- Administration
- Main Temples
- Schools
- Colleges
- Temples
- Malabar Devaswom Board
- Guruvayur Devaswom Board
- Educational institutions
- Criticism
- References
The four Kerala devaswoms (Guruvayur, Travancore, Malabar and Cochin) together manage nearly 3000 temples.
Revenues
The four devaswoms (Guruvayur, Travancore, Malabar and Cochin) earn about Rs. 1000 crore annually
Travancore Devaswom Board
Travancore Devaswom Board is an autonomous body formed as per the Travancore Cochin Hindu Religious Institutions Act of 1950. It is one of the oldest Devaswom Board, as a successor to Travancore Royal Devaswom Commission. The headquarters of Travancore Devaswom Board is located at Devaswom Complex in Nanthancode, Thiruvananthapuram. Current president of Ttravancore Devaswom Board is Prayar Gopalakrishnan. Immediately after the British take over of Travancore , all temples till then, managed by different communities and families were confiscated including all its movable and immovable assets and put under the control of one institution with top control resting with the British resident. This also lead to the bhrahminical worship in all temples. The Sabarimala temple, is the largest and most important temple of Travancore Devaswom board. The second largest temple under this board is Chettikulangara Devi temple at Mavelikkara. The Constitution of the Board was based on the covenant entered into by the King of Travancore. The current president is Shri. Prayar Gopalakrishnan. Sabarimala is the main income source of the board, with Rs.90 crore accruing to it from there during the previous pilgrimage season (Nov.2010-Jan.2011). The income from the rest of the temples in Kerala was Rs.57 crore.
Administration
The Board comprises President and two Members, the President and one Member is nominated by the Hindu members of the Kerala Council of Ministers and the other Member from the Hindu Members of State legislature. The term of the President and Members is for a period of three years. The headquarters of the board is in Nanthancode,Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Main Temples
Schools
There are several Primary and Higher Secondary schools all over South Kerala.
Colleges
There are four aided colleges all over South Kerala. They are:
Temples
Sree Subrahamanya Swami Temple,Pnanachery,Trichur Mahadeva Temple,Pananchery Sree Balasubramanyaswami Temple Cheriyanad
Malabar Devaswom Board
The Malabar Devaswom Board was formed by the H.R & C.E (Amendment) Ordinance of 2008 of Government of Kerala. The Board consists of 9 members. There are five divisions Kasaragod Division, Thalassery Division, Kozhikode Division, Malappuram Division and Palakkad Division. temples are in Special Temple category and the others in A,B,C,D category. in special category are 'Some of the well known' temples (*All temples cannot be included)
Prominent 'Category A' temples: Cherukunnu Annapoorneswari Temple, Cherukunnu, Anantheshwaram Temple, Kasargod, Kalarivathukkal Bhagavathy Temple, Valapattanam.
Prominent 'Category B' temples: Thirumandhamkunnu Bhagavathy Temple, Kongadu, Viswanathaswami Temple, Kalpathy, Thaliyil Neelakanda Temple, Neeleswaram. These temples are in relative lower category but are highly famous in the region.
Guruvayur Devaswom Board
The Guruvayur Devaswom Board was formed for administering the activities of Guruvayur Temple.
Administration
Administrative office started functioning since 1997. The day-to-day administration is to be looked after by an Administrator appointed by the Government of Kerala. The Managing Committee includes the Tantri of the temple and others.
Main Temples
Pandavathu Siva Temple,Maradu,Ernakulam Ayani Siva Temple,Maradu,Ernakulam Kottaram Poonithura Sreekrishna Swamy Temple, Maradu,Ernakulam
Educational institutions
Criticism
The Devaswom Board has been seen as corrupt and making improper use of profits from temples. Other criticism include the inability of the Board to sufficiently operate major temples in Kerala, despite the huge profits that the Board receives. This is thought to be a product of corruption inherent within the Board. The Aravana Payasam Controversy of 2007 at Shabarimala was a prime example of Devaswom's (and the Government's) inability to cope with the running of the temple.