Serious allegations of extortion and misbehavior by temple staff have surfaced at the Samayapuram Mariamman Temple in Trichy, one of Tamil Nadu’s most-visited shrines. According to a report released by Hindu Munnani State President Kadeshwara Subramaniam, devotees have accused temple employees of overcharging for special darshan tickets and intimidating those who question the irregularities.
The controversy erupted after a video surfaced on social media showing a female temple employee allegedly demanding ₹400 from two devotees for special darshan tickets, instead of the prescribed ₹100 per person. When questioned, the staff member is said to have retorted angrily that the devotees could either pay ₹400 or leave. The employee further claimed that she had been working in the temple for two decades and dared the devotees to “show the video to the collector,” reportedly boasting that no action could be taken against her.
Hindu Munnani stated that the incident reflects a wider pattern of administrative irregularities and harassment of devotees in temples managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. The organization alleged that officials of the department are aware of such overcharging practices and are complicit in them.
The statement accused the HR&CE Department of turning temples into centers of commercial exploitation, claiming that its officials were “monetizing devotion” instead of providing basic facilities and maintaining sanctity. It also alleged that employees who extort money share the proceeds with higher-level staff, which emboldens them to behave arrogantly with worshippers.
Referring to past incidents, Hindu Munnani said similar complaints of extortion had been raised earlier at the Samayapuram Mariamman Temple, and that poor crowd management had even led to stampede-like situations in recent months.
The organization questioned how temple employees were permitted to collect amounts beyond the official fee and demanded accountability from the state’s Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, P.K. Sekarbabu. It criticized the minister’s claim that “God is happy under the Dravidian model government,” asking how such statements could be justified when devotees were allegedly being insulted and exploited.
Hindu Munnani urged the state government to immediately dismiss the female employee involved in the latest incident and take stringent action against all staff found engaging in unauthorized fee collection or mistreatment of devotees. The group also called for systemic reforms to prevent similar incidents in other temples under the HR&CE Department’s control across Tamil Nadu.
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