Temple Owned Lands in Tamil Nadu: An Economic Analysis

“The magic of private property turns sand into gold; Give a man the possessions of bleak rock and he will turn in to garden; Give him a nine years lease of garden; he converts it in to a desert.” - Arthur Young •The study shows that many of the temple tenants do not have Record tenancy rights (RTR), hence the enforcement of the Act might be strengthened while tenants without RTR might loose their tenancy; further the land may be re-allotted by the public auction system. •A system of fixed cash tenancy must replace the present system of share cropping i.e. 25.0 per cent of the harvested grain is payable as rent by the tenants to the temple. Because of the present system gives room for declaring lower yield or even total crop failure even in years of good crops. Temple staff are not able to know the actual yield of the crops. •Temple can agree to help the tenants for making necessary and beneficial investments either from its own funds or by helping tenants borrow for the purpose of to be making an irrigation facility. Tenants must agree to pay the rent and amount of loan payable regularly. Failure to pay in full the rent, loan or both for more than three years must be made a