Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Department, Karnataka (Muzrai)
Government department · Bengaluru
Karnataka's Muzrai or Endowments Department supervises some 35,000 notified Hindu temples and religious institutions under the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1997. Temples are graded by annual income. Category A temples earn over Rs 25 lakh a year (201 notified plus 4 declared institutions on the department's list), Category B earns Rs 5-25 lakh, and the large Category C group earns under Rs 5 lakh. Richer temples pay a share of income into a Common Pool Fund that helps the poorer ones. The department's Category A list includes Kukke Subramanya, Kollur Mookambika, Kateel, Mandarthi, Ghati Subramanya, Nanjangud, Savadatti Yellamma, Hampi Virupaksha, Belur and Bengaluru's Banashankari and Gavi Gangadhareshwara. The current Act came into force in 2003. Private and matha-run shrines such as Dharmasthala, Udupi Sri Krishna Matha, Sringeri and Horanadu are not under it.
How it is run
A state government department under the Muzrai (Endowments) minister, headed by a Commissioner for Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments. Category A and B temples get government-appointed executive officers and nominated managing committees. Deputy Commissioners act as district-level authorities.
Tips for pilgrims
- Seva and accommodation booking is temple by temple. Use the e-services on itms.kar.nic.in or the temple's own counters, and be wary of look-alike private 'booking' websites.
- Big Category A temples like Kukke Subramanya and Kollur fill up on weekends and festival days. Book sarpa samskara and other special sevas well ahead.
- Chamundeshwari (Mysuru) and Male Mahadeshwara Hills have their own development authorities, not the regular Muzrai set-up. Check those authorities for sevas and rules.
Temples it runs
- Kukke Shree Subrahmanya Temple – Subrahmanya, Kadaba taluk, Dakshina Kannada
- Sri Mookambika Temple, Kollur – Kollur, Byndoor taluk, Udupi
- Ghati Subramanya Temple – Ghati, Doddaballapur, Bengaluru Rural
- Idagunji Mahaganapati Temple – Idagunji, Honnavar, Uttara Kannada
- Kadri Manjunatha Temple – Kadri, Mangaluru
- Kote Venkataramana Swamy Temple – K R Road, Bengaluru
- Mangaladevi Temple – Bolar, Mangaluru
- Sri Banashankari Temple – S Kariyappa Road, Bengaluru
- Sri Bhoga Nandishwara Temple – Nandi, Chikkaballapur
- Sri Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple – Melukote, Mandya
- Sri Chennakeshava Temple, Belur – Belur, Hassan
- Sri Dattatreya Temple, Ganagapur – Ganagapur, Afzalpur, Kalaburagi
- Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple, Kateel – Kateel, Dakshina Kannada
- Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple, Mandarthi – Mandarthi, Udupi
- Sri Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple – Gavipuram, Bengaluru
- Sri Hasanamba Temple – Hassan town
- Sri Marikamba Temple – Sirsi, Uttara Kannada
- Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangapatna – Srirangapatna, Mandya
- Sri Renuka Yellamma Temple – Yellammanagudda, Saundatti, Belagavi
- Sri Siddalingeshwara Swamy Temple, Yediyur – Yediyur, Kunigal, Tumakuru
- Sri Srikanteshwara Temple, Nanjangud – Nanjangud, Mysuru
- Sri Virupaksha Temple, Hampi – Hampi, Vijayanagara