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N Sathiya Moorthy in Chennai
The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday decided to move the Madras high court challenging the preliminary notification of the Archaeological Survey of India for taking over the Sri Arunachaleswar hill temple in the northern Tamil Nadu town of Thiruvannamalai.
"The government is totally against the takeover of the temple, which is under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department for several decades," an official release said in Chennai.
"The ASI move is unwarranted," it said, adding, "The temple is more than a site of archaeological importance."
The release said the ASI had 'not consulted the state government before making a unilateral move in this direction'. "The temple has grown in stature to the present level, only because of the constant and strenuous efforts of the state government."
A high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa also felt the state government and the HR&CE department together could mobilise a larger quantum of funds than the Rs 20 million now promised by the ASI for the renovation of the hill-temple.
Meanwhile, in Thiruvannamalai the locals launched a daylong bandh and also a protest demonstration against the ASI's move.
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