TN: Tiruchendur Temple sees devotee rush drop as summer vacation ends
Thoothukudi, June 3
The Tiruchendur Subramaniya Swamy Temple in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, revered as the second of Lord Murugan's six sacred abodes and a major pilgrimage and tourist destination, is witnessing a significant decline in the number of devotees following the end of the summer vacation season.
Thousands of devotees visit the temple every day for darshan. Over the past month, during the summer holidays, large numbers of pilgrims from various parts of Tamil Nadu as well as other states visited Tiruchendur to offer prayers to Lord Murugan.
With schools set to reopen from tomorrow, devotees and people who had returned to their native places for the holidays have now left for their workplaces in cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Madurai, and Coimbatore.
As a result, the usual rush of devotees in the temple premises has considerably reduced. In particular, the area in front of the Shanmuga Vilasa Mandapam, located at the temple entrance, appeared unusually quiet and deserted without the usual crowd and activity.
It may be recalled that during a recent inspection by the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Minister, allegations were raised that devotees were being allowed into the Shanmuga Vilasa Mandapam after paying money. In contrast, the mandapam is now seen largely empty and peaceful.
Additionally, both the ₹100 special darshan queue and the free darshan queue areas were found to be free from the usual crowd, giving the temple premises a calm and serene atmosphere.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister Ramesh said appropriate action would be taken against those found responsible for irregularities at the Tiruchendur Subramaniya Swamy Temple, where he conducted a surprise inspection following allegations of bribery involving temple priests.
Minister Ramesh has been carrying out inspections at the temple in the Thoothukudi district since 6 am.
According to allegations, some priests, allegedly unaware of the identities of the minister and his assistant, demanded and received Rs 4,000 as a bribe to facilitate darshan of Lord Murugan at the temple.
Following the alleged incident, the minister continued inspections in various parts of the temple.
Speaking to reporters in Thoothukudi, the minister said only explanation letters had been sought from temple officials found to have committed mistakes and not apology letters.
"Only explanation letters have been obtained from those who committed mistakes among the temple officials. No apology letters have been sought. Whoever is found to have committed wrongdoing at the Tiruchendur Subramaniya Swamy Temple will face appropriate action," Ramesh said.
The minister further said inspections are yet to be conducted in various parts of the temple and full details of the findings would be shared after completion of the exercise.
"Further inspections are yet to be conducted in various parts of the temple. After the completion of the inspection, full details of today's incidents and findings will be provided to you," he said.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Summer holidays over means peace returns to our beloved Tiruchendur. But the real issue is the money-minded priests. ₹4000 bribe just for darshan? That's pure exploitation of faith. Hope HR&CE does a thorough job and cleanses the system. Lord Murugan will bless the honest.
This is typical - crowd goes down after holidays. But why does it take a minister surprise inspection and media coverage to fix temple issues? These temples are supposed to be places of devotion, not business. Disappointed but not surprised. 😒
It's good that the minister is serious about this. "Explanation letters not apology letters" - that's the right approach. Temples like Tiruchendur are cultural heritage, not cash cows. The serene atmosphere after rush is actually a blessing for genuine devotees. Let's hope these reforms stick.
As someone visiting from the US, I was shocked to hear about the bribery allegations. India has such beautiful temples and rich spiritual traditions. It's sad when temple administration gets corrupted. Hope they clean up the system so tourists like me can experience the real devotion without all that. 🙏
Not everything should be about money and queues. The calm after the summer rush is how temples should feel - peaceful and spiritual. But the bribery issue is a blot on the temple management. Let's see if the minister actually follows through or it's just another photo op. Excuses won't work anymore.
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