HR and CE Department awaits de-reservation of 50 acres for Arulmigu Amanalingeswarar Temple in Tiruppur

The Forest Department is learnt to have taken efforts to mark boundaries of the de-reserved extent of 50 acres of forest area supposedly in contention of HR and CE Department that manages the ancient Arulmigu Amanalingeswarar Temple located at the foot of the picturesque hill adjacent to Thirumoorthy Dam.

At present, the power of the HR and CE Department is limited to Land Enjoyment rights, and the department is not in a position to raise permanent structures for improving amenities for devotees visiting the shrine in large numbers.

The existing toilet block and other amenities, including parking, are not sufficient for catering to the devotees, particularly during weekends, holidays and festivities.

Devotees are allowed to visit the temple, and are permitted to go up to the Panchalinga Temple located above the waterfalls at the time of ‘Pradosham’.

Unlike a decade back when buses were utilised for transport, devotees visiting in units of families increasingly come by four-wheelers, clogging the limited parking space and also spilling over, according to temple sources.

After the 50-acre area was subsumed by Anaimalai Tiger Reserve in 2007, the de-reservation process had turned a tough proposition.

However, the contention of the HR and CE Department is that it has the drawing of the boundaries for the 50-acre area as had been published in the 1919 Gazette. Going by the drawing, the HR and CE Department has the jurisdiction over the Panchalinga waterfalls, a department source said.

The Forest Department has not permitted the HR and CE Department to raise permanent structures for decades, citing the stringent provisions enforced in tiger reserves.

Only the existing structures could be maintained by the HR and CE Department.

The devotees, Temple authorities said, were being charged a nominal entry fee of ₹5 each. The money is used optimally for maintenance, an official said.

Till 2007, the HR and CE Department had to share 25 % of its entry fee revenue with the Dhali Town Panchayat. However, despite winning the claim of entry fee revenue legally, the HR and CE Department has been looking to overcome the limitations in carrying out developmental works.

The handover of the 50 acres to the HR and CE Department by the Forest Department, officials say, will be in the interests of the devotees.

The parking space could be improved and landscaping would add to the aesthetic appeal of the temple in the picturesque settings, temple sources said.