Puducherry : The government will soon start an institute for imparting training to trustees of temples on management of the shrines, Lt Governor Kiran Bedi said here today.
The proposed institute will get assistance from the Centre under its skill development training programme, she said after her visit to a temple in Thangavel Nagar here.
Trustees managing the shrines and its priests would be trained on temple administration, taking care of the premises, ponds and other things, Bedi said, adding the commissioner of Hindu Religious Institutions (HRI) department would work out the modalities of setting up the institute.
According to an official release, the training would be on line with the one in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and would be get guided by spiritual guru and Art of Living (AOL) founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
Desilting of temple ponds should be done periodically for proper storage of rainwater so that those can become a source of drinking water and also can be used for irrigation, the Lt Governor said.
She directed the commissioner of the HRI department to launch a website and prepare a directory on details of temples in the Union Territory to promote temple tourism.
A joint meeting of trustees of all temples would be held soon to formulate an action plan on launch of the website and the directory, the release said.
Bedi appealed to trustees of temples in Puducherry to function independently and seek legal remedy for removing those encroaching upon temple lands.
PTI