"One of the greatest losses of the so-called Dravidian discourse in Tamil Nadu is the loss of a number of Hindu Devatas or deities in the civilizational consciousness of the Tamil people. More pointedly, the cultural-heritage-loss that accompanied this Devata loss has in many cases become irreversible. To restate the obvious, most ancient and medieval era temples in Tamil Nadu today have become dens of corruption, squalor, and pettiness at all levels. This rampant degradation continues unchecked as we speak. The Government-appointed administrative heads of these temples are not only ignorant of even something as basic as the temple’s kshetra or sthala puranas – oral and even written history – but dismiss it with a contempt that has to be seen to be believed. This is the visible, physical aspect of this deity loss in the people’s collective cultural consciousness. That which nobody cares about will be ignored, and this ignorance will lead to stagnation, decay, and eventual disappearance. Government control of temples is only one of the causes—the real loss has really occurred at the level of the atman or soul."