Tamil Nadu Timeline

LegislationNational and Dravidian movements

Madras Hindu Religious Endowments Act

· Chennai

A law passed under the Justice Party government placed Hindu temple endowments under the oversight of a statutory board.

In December 1922 the ministry of the Raja of Panagal brought the Madras Hindu Religious Endowment Bill before the Legislative Council, aiming to regulate how temples and their property were managed. Orthodox sections and a number of temple trustees resisted it, and it became law only in 1925. Under it, the state government gained supervisory control over many Hindu temples. Later Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Acts, and Tamil Nadu's HR and CE department, followed the pattern it established.

Related events

  1. 1817

    1. 1817ChennaiLegislation

      Madras Regulation VII of 1817 on temple endowments

      The Madras government passed Regulation VII of 1817, the first explicit Company legislation on the management of temple endowments.

  2. 1919

    1. 23 Dec 1919ChennaiLegislation

      Government of India Act 1919 introduces dyarchy

      Based on the Montagu-Chelmsford Report, the Act introduced dyarchy in the provinces, including Madras, transferring some subjects to elected ministers.

  3. 1920

    1. 1920ChennaiEducation

      Madras Elementary Education Act

      A Madras statute made elementary schooling compulsory for both boys and girls and raised spending on primary schools.

  4. 1922

    1. 1922ChennaiIndustry

      Madras State Aid to Industries Act

      The Justice Party government passed a law to advance state loans for setting up industries in the Presidency.

  5. 1929

    1. 1929ChennaiGovernance

      Madras Service Commission set up

      Created by a Madras law, the Madras Service Commission was India's first provincial public service commission and the predecessor of TNPSC.

  6. 1947

    1. 9 Oct 1947ChennaiLegislation

      Madras Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act enacted

      The Madras legislature outlawed the dedication of girls to temples as devadasis, ending a long reform campaign.

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