Parliament Question: Preservation and Maintenance of Ancient Temples

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2551 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 PRESERVATION AND MAINTENANCE OF ANCIENT TEMPLES 2551. KM. SUDHA R: Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state: (a) the details of temples along with funds approved and disbursed for preservation and maintenance of ancient temples and cultural sites in Tamil Nadu especially in the Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha Constituency; (b) whether the Government has any plans to provide special recognition or packages to the Cauvery delta's temple architecture for promoting spiritual and cultural tourism; (c) if not, the reasons therefor along with alternative support for spiritual and cultural tourism in the said region; and (d) whether the Government plans to declare Mahamaham Theerthavari celebrated at Kumbakonam as a national festival? ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) There are 412 centrally protected monument/sites including temples under the jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Tamil Nadu State including 04 monuments in the Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha Constituency. ASI takes up conservation and maintenance works as per the need and availability of resources subject to the National Policy for Conservation and it is a continuous process. The details of funds allocated and expenditure incurred for conservation, preservation and maintenance of monuments/sites including Temple in Tamil Nadu including Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha Constituency during last three years are given as under:- (Amount in Crores) S. Year Allocation Expenditure No. incurred 1. 2022-23 19.95 19.95 2. 2023-24 22.50 22.50 3. 2024-25 18.95 18.94 Further, the details of expenditure incurred for conservation, preservation and maintenance of 04 monuments in Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha Constituency during last three years are given at Annexure-I.(b) Yes, there are 3 temples in the Cauvery delta region under the jurisdiction of ASI. They are & having UNESCO World Heritage Status namely, Brihadisvara temple Thanjavur; (c) Airavatesvarar temple Darasuram and Brihadisvara temple Gangaikondacholapuram. ASI in collaboration with various governmental and non-governmental agencies, organizes cultural programs and heritage walks, special cleaning campaigns during the World Heritage Week, World Heritage Day, World Museum Day, International Day of Yoga for promoting spiritual and cultural tourism. The Ministry of Tourism regularly promotes diverse tourist destinations and experiences of India including spiritual and cultural tourism through various initiatives including promotional events, participation in travel exhibitions and fairs in domestic and international markets, familiarization tours, assistance to State Governments/Union Territories for organizing fairs and festivals, website, amplification through social media handles etc. (d) At present, there is no such proposal under consideration.Annexure - I REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2551 FOR 09.03.2026. The details of expenditure incurred for conservation, preservation and maintenance of 04 monuments in Mayiladuthurai Lok Sabha Constituency during last three years (Amount in Rs.) Sl. Name of the Monument Expenditure Expenditure Expenditure No. incurred in incurred in incurred in 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 1 Town Gateway, Tranquebar 165898/- 196009/- 153286/- (Tharangambadi), Tiruthuraipundi, Mayiladuthurai 2 Excavated Remains Of Buddhist 907574/- 392016/- 998496/- Vihara And Temple At Pallavaneswaram, Melaiyur (Kaveripattinam), Sirkazhi, Mayiladuthurai 3 Kambarmedu, Melaiyur, Sirkazhi, 623066/- 433815/- 680954/- Mayiladuthurai 4 Airavatesvarar Temple, Chattram 2207966/- 2486192/- 4629936/- Darasuram, Kumbakonam , Thanjavur -----