The Supreme Court today ruled that the famous Nataraja temple in the town of Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu will be managed by priests and not the state government.In 2009, the Madras High Court had transferred the administration of the 1000-year-old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva to the government that was then headed by M Karunanidhi. That verdict was based on the allegation that the temple's considerable wealth was being mismanaged.The decision was challenged by the temple's priests who belong to the Dikshithar sect and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

The state government in 1987 had appointed an official to manage the endowments and considerable assets and property owned by the temple.The temple is spread over a complex that's 40 acres large.