Chikkamma Devi temple in Srirangapatna village shown as waqf property

MANDYA: The waqf property issue is cropping up everywhere in the state. A controversy has erupted in Mahadevapura village in Srirangapatna taluk over the Chikkamma Devi temple being declared a Waqf property.

The temple was built years ago on 6 guntas (00.15 acres) of land. Since then, the villagers have been worshiping Chikkamma Devi. The land of this temple was recorded as ‘banjaru’ (infertile land) in the revenue records, implying it was government land. Moreover, it was previously recorded as ‘Chikkamma Devi Temple’ in the revenue records until July 17, 2023.

However, now this temple and its land have been declared Waqf property.The subdivision officer of Pandavapura has now mutated it as Waqf property, citing a court order.

Villagers are outraged, claiming that it is a fraudulent attempt to convert a Hindu temple into Waqf property without their knowledge. This came to light while checking RTC records. The district administration faces the challenge of resolving this issue and addressing public anger.