Compiled by MARTIN CARVALHO, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

       A total of 47 Hindu temples under the Tamil Nadu state government have officially begun offering the option of conducting religious ceremonies in Tamil, Makkal Osai reported.

       The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department manages hundreds of temples in the state.

       Minister in charge of the department PK Sekar Babu, who officiated the first fully Tamil pooja at the Kapaleeshwarar Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Mylapore, said qualified priests have been made available at the 47 temples.

       He added that they would include the Vadapalani Murugan Temple and the Thiruvanmiyur Marundeeswarar Temple, which are considered among the most auspicious in the state.

       Devotees can ask for these priests to conduct the full ceremony including chanting the sacred mantras in Tamil, he said.

       He added that the service would eventually be extended to 539 temples under the department in the south Indian state.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.