Kanniappan and Gurukkal say there are three inscriptions in the temple that vouch for the donation of the lands to both temples. “Things turned bad for the temples when the Madras Estates (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act, 1948 – popularly known as the Ryotwari Act – was implemented. The surveyor who came to see these lands wrote all these as orphaned, thus making it lose many acres,” says Kaniappan.

“The irony is that of the 1,500 acres he bought, Venkaiah donated nearly 1,000 acres for the lake that is now Sembarambakkam Lake. The rest were the ones donated to these temples, but even that they are unable to take advantage of,” says Gurukkal.

Two things happened when most of the temple lands were taken away in 1951 after the Ryotwari Act was implemented. “One, some of the temple officials were smart and dedicated and got the lands on which the temples existed registered in the deities’ name. Second, the temple management moved the Assistant Settlement Officer, Tirupattur, in 1956 to retrieve the lost lands, but the petition was dismissed,” says Gurukkal.

A move by the Dasaprakash Group to buy 10 acres of land in the village in 1983 proved to be a blessing in disguise. The group wanted to buy the lands behind the 10 acres it had bought near the St John’s International Residential School. It said it would pay the HR&CE Department and take the land on lease.

The temple management opposed this move and filed a petition in the Madras High Court. In 1993, the High Court ruled that the lands belonged to the temple and struck down the Dasaprakash Group deal. An appeal by the group was dismissed by the Supreme Court. “After that, the Dasaprakash Group sold off the land and left the place,” says Kanniappan.

“Some people now enjoy the temple land in the village. But they can only enjoy as long as they are alive,” says Gurukkal, adding that the problem for the temples is that the HR&CE Department is yet to give the management the registration document for these lands.

“We have been time and again reminding the HR&CE Department. We have pointed to the Queensland and St John’s School case. But no government official is willing to act or do the needful to vacate them. They (the amusement park and the school) are thriving, but look at the temples,” rues Kanniappan.

“The Queensland Amusement Park and St John’s School paid the lease rental the first year to avoid paying taxes. After that, they haven’t paid a single paisa as rent to the temple,” regrets Gurukkal.