HR&CE Minister Ramesh tours 3 Trichy temples, flags FSSAI lapses at prasad counters, greets elephant Akhila on 24th birthday

PRESS RELEASE Officials must continuously inspect whether food safety regulations are being properly followed at temple prasadam sales counters. Order of Hon'ble Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Thiru C. Ramesh, following inspection Hon'ble Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Thiru C. Ramesh today (24.05.2026) personally visited the Arulmigu Thayumanaswamy Temple, Malaikottai, the Arulmigu Jambukeswarar Temple, Thiruvanaikaval, and the Arulmigu Pundarikaksha Perumal Temple, Thiruvellarai, all in Tiruchirappalli District, and inspected their administration, facilities for devotees, and the functioning of the prasadam sales counters. Work to build a new wooden temple chariot for the Goddess (Ambal) at the Arulmigu Thayumanaswamy Temple, Malaikottai, is underway with donor funding of Rs. 57.80 lakh. The Hon'ble Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments personally inspected this work today and instructed officials to complete the chariot construction swiftly and bring it into use. The Hon'ble Minister then visited the Arulmigu Jambukeswarar Temple (with Goddess Arulmigu Akilandeswari), Thiruvanaikaval, and reviewed temple administration, elephant care, and basic facilities for devotees. He inspected whether the food items and prasadam sold at the temple's prasadam sales counter fully complied with the guidelines and food safety regulations set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and whether the manufacturing and expiry dates were marked on food items. Upon finding items without these dates, the Hon'ble Minister ordered that such items not be sold, and directed officials to obtain an explanation from the contractor supplying the prasadam. The Hon'ble Minister then checked the TDS level of the drinking water in the protected water (RO Unit) tank installed within the temple complex, and finding it to be low — which could indicate insufficient natural minerals and nutrients — ordered that the protected drinking water tank be maintained at regular intervals, with separate registers kept for this purpose. He also ordered that toilets within the temple complex be cleaned at least five times a day, with a separate register maintained recording the time of cleaning and the staff details for each instance. He advised that the free vehicle parking security facilities set up for devotees' vehicles at temples be properly maintained. Having reviewed the construction of the priests' and staff quarters being built at this temple at an estimated cost of Rs. 5.26 crore, the Hon'ble Minister instructed officials and engineers to complete the work swiftly and bring it into use. The Hon'ble Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments then told reporters: All temple administrations across Tamil Nadu have been directed to properly inspect prasadam sales counters, annadhanam kitchens, drinking water facilities, toilet facilities and general public amenities, and to continuously inspect whether food safety regulations are being properly followed at prasadam sales counters. If any violations of food safety regulations are detected, or if items without expiry dates are found being sold, officials have been instructed to seek an explanation from the prasadam contractors and shop operators and to take immediate necessary action. Such prasadam sales operations found in violation must be immediately suspended, the matter reported to the Minister's office without delay, and the shop permitted to resume operations only after obtaining permission from the competent authority. FSSAI guidelines, food safety standards, hygiene practices and drinking water quality controls must be strictly enforced at all temples. This must be continuously monitored by the concerned Joint Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners and Executive Officers. Keeping the welfare of devotees in mind, all facilities, including continuous cleanliness maintenance, must be ensured, he stated. The Hon'ble Minister then proceeded to the Arulmigu Pundarikaksha Perumal Temple, Thiruvellarai, and inspected the ongoing Rajagopuram (temple tower) construction works there. During these inspections, Zonal Joint Commissioner Thiru Su. Gnanasekaran, Arulmigu Ranganathar Swamy Temple, Srirangam, Joint Commissioner/Executive Officer Thiru Se. Sivaramkumar, Malaikottai Temple Assistant Commissioner Thiru Arulselvan, Thiruvanaikaval Temple Assistant Commissioner Tmt. Ki. Uma, Zonal Executive Engineer Tmt. Muthu Sejam, and other officials were present. Birthday of temple elephant Akhila — Minister offers sweets and fruits and receives blessings The temple elephant Akhila of Arulmigu Jambukeswarar Temple, Thiruvanaikaval, celebrated her 24th birthday today. On this occasion, in the presence of the Hon'ble Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Thiru C. Ramesh, the temple elephant Akhila was brought from her enclosure to the temple garden with traditional musical accompaniment, and a special puja was performed. The Hon'ble Minister then offered sweets, fruits and vegetables to the temple elephant and received her blessing. Issued by: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9