■   Priests in Telangana must now get prior approval before performing rituals outside their temples, in India or abroad.

■   Move follows reports of priests from Bhadrachalam, Yadagirigutta making undisclosed foreign trips funded by NRI Telugu associations.

■   New rules mandate all overseas/offsite donations to be deposited into temple or Endowments Dept accounts

MAHESH AVADHUTHA I hyderabad

The Telangana Endowments Department has issued a strict memo to Veda Pandits, Purohits and Archakas across the state, making it mandatory for them to obtain prior approval from the Commissioner of Endowments before performing religious ceremonies outside their assigned temples — whether within the state, in other parts of India, or abroad.

The directive, issued under the instructions of Endowments Minister Konda Surekha, seeks to align the conduct of temple priests with the Government CCS (Conduct) Rules applicable to government employees. Any violation, the department has warned, will attract disciplinary action.

Foreign Trips under the Radar

According to officials, the move comes after several instances of priests from prominent pilgrim centres such as Bhadrachalam and Yadagirigutta quietly accepting invitations from Telugu associations in the US, Canada, UK and other countries. These associations often covered the priests’ air travel, accommodation and other expenses. During such trips — sometimes lasting two to four weeks — priests performed rituals and received substantial “gifts” or donations from NRI devotees, many of whom assumed their offerings were going to the temples in Telangana.

However, in reality, these amounts were often retained by the visiting priests. What’s more, most of these trips were not disclosed to the department. Priests would often apply for leave citing ill health or family reasons. Officials say that complaints — sometimes driven by professional envy — surfaced when colleagues spotted photographs and details of such trips posted by NRI associations on social media.

New Rules for Transparency

The new guidelines make it clear that any priest receiving an invitation to perform rituals outside their temple jurisdiction must inform the higher authorities. Permission, if granted, will be on the condition that the priest travels as a representative of the temple.

They must carry official temple receipts, digital payment options and ensure that all donations collected during such events are directly deposited into the temple or Endowments Department accounts. The Commissioner of Endowments in Hyderabad has been tasked with circulating these instructions to all temples and ensuring compliance.

Mixed reactions from Priests

Representatives of Archak Associations argue that the memo primarily targets priests from Bhadrachalam and Yadagirigutta, who receive the bulk of foreign invitations. They claim such trips are rarely a solo effort — temple Executive Officers (EOs) and staff are usually aware and sometimes even encourage priests to secure overseas donations for temple projects.

However, some priests also point out a deeper issue: traditional dharmic codes discourage samudra yatra (crossing the seas) for religious duty. This, they say, creates an inherent conflict between age-old customs and the department’s desire to regulate foreign fundraising. With the new rules in place, the Endowments Department hopes to close loopholes, ensure transparency, and prevent temples from losing out on significant overseas donations.