Temple Administration
Temple administration tests day-to-day governance: rituals, staff, hundi collections, prasadam, festivals, security and records. It links Agama and custom with statutory administration. Questions often ask whether a particular administrative act is valid, or which record proves a transaction.
Core rules and concepts
- Daily worship: nitya pooja, naivedya and deeparadhana must follow the temple's Agama and established custom.
- Festivals: brahmotsavam, kalyanotsavam and rathotsavam require advance planning, budget, police coordination and crowd control.
- Hundi: counting should be done by two or more officers, recorded immediately and deposited into the temple account; cash should not be retained.
- Staff: archakas and mirasidars perform ritual duties; paricharakas and security staff support administration; duties flow from Agama, custom and service rules.
- Prasadam and annadanam: maintain hygiene, stock registers and separate accounts for donations.
Worked example
An Executive Officer counts the hundi alone and deposits the cash the next day. Reasoning: dual control and same-day recording are basic internal controls; solo counting creates misappropriation risk and violates procedure. Answer: the process is irregular and the collection must be recounted and verified.
Traps that cost marks
Treating Agama as uniform for all temples; ignoring mirasidar rights; mixing temple funds with personal funds; and failing to maintain asset or inventory registers.