TN: Tiruchendur Temple sees devotee rush drop as summer vacation ends

Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu) [India], 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 (Arupadai Veedu) 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.