Site icon The Commune

Long Queues, Longer Wait Times, Higher Ticket Prices Add To Devotees’ Woes At Tiruchendur Murugan Temple

The Subramaniya Swamy Temple situated in Tiruchendur, Tuticorin district, serves as the second abode of the six abodes of Lord Murugan. Every year, numerous festivals are celebrated at this location. In the month of Chithirai, the Vasantha festival is organized at the Tiruchendur Temple for 10 days. 

With schools closed for holidays, devotees are flocking to Tiruchendur, filling the temple complex to capacity. Tiruchendur sees a surge in visitors during government holidays, especially those coinciding with festivals. Currently, with exams for classes 10, 11, and 12 concluded, other classes enjoy holidays, further increasing the influx of devotees. On 11 April 2024, a government holiday for the Ramzan festival contributed to the heightened attendance. Devotees began arriving in Tiruchendur in the evening the previous day, with hotels fully booked for the weekend. Consequently, accommodation requests surged in the area. Additionally, traffic congestion occurred as vehicles transporting devotees were halted at various points, impacting the movement of government buses near the temple gate bus station. 

Owing to the overcrowding, devotees experienced lengthy wait times at the temple for darshan. In one such case, after a lengthy wait at the Subramaniya Swamy Temple in Tiruchendur, the crowd grew impatient and engaged in a heated dispute with the security personnel, questioning whether worship was permitted only for those with financial means. Eventually, tensions escalated, leading to the breaking of barricades and the crowd entering the premises. The incident, widely circulated on social media, sparked uproar in the locality.

During this period, the Tiruchendur Subramania Swamy Temple opened its doors at 4 am, initiating a day filled with rituals and pujas, including the Vishwarupam at 4:30 am and the Udayamarthanda Abhishekam at 6 am.

Subsequently, Viswarupa Deeparathana would take place, followed by Udayamarthanda Abhishekam, Later on, Uchikala Abhishekam will be conducted. Swami Jayantinatha would then emerge from the temple along with Valli-Deivanai in Vasantha Mandapam. In the evening, Swami Jayantinathar would appear with Valli-Deivanai on a golden chariot. Subsequently, Valli-Deivanai would crawl 11 times in Vasantha Mandapam, offering a spectacle to the devotees. Deeparathana for Swami-Ambal follows this event. Swami-Ambal then will return to the temple through the Giriprakara path. Thousands of devotees gather to witness the Chithirai Vasantha ceremony, seeking darshan of the deity. 

This time, the influx coincided with the school summer break and the Chithrai (Pournamai) full moon auspicious day, leading to an even larger crowd than usual. The HR&CE has implemented a unique queuing system for visitors to catch a glimpse of Lord Murugan, with a corresponding fee. On this occasion, the crowd was particularly large, leading to speculation that HR&CE intended to maximize its revenue. However, upon entering the queue, devotees noticed a significant slowdown compared to usual, prompting frustration. This frustration escalated into arguments with security guards and sloganeering “Can we have darshan (of the deity) only if we have money?” Growing impatient, some devotees even pushed against the barricades hindering the worship of their beloved deity, Lord Murugan.

During the 2023 Shashti festival last year, devotees were charged higher fees: ₹2,000 for Vishwarupa Darshan, ₹3,000 for abhishekam, ₹3,000 for yagasala darshan and ₹1,000 for speed darshan. It sparked significant controversy as the fare hike was unauthorized and considered outrageous. Despite the temple administration’s claims that they had prior approval for these charges, it raised questions about the real purpose of charging such charges. The question also arises whether the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Trusts Act, 1959 (HR&CE) allows the collection of such fees for revenue purposes. This approach, however, contradicts the concept of a temple as a sacred place of worship and abode of the divine, which, according to the order of the Madurai branch of the High Court, is a violation.

(Image Credit: Vikatan)

Despite the ruling from the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court asserting that Lord Murugan holds the sole VIP status at the Tiruchendur temple, with all other devotees being considered equal and the directive to permit only two types of darshan – the paid ₹100 darshan and the free darshan, reports continue to surface regarding the ongoing issue of sluggish queue systems and alternative revenue generation methods. However, no concrete action has been taken to address these grievances.

Subscribe to our channels on TelegramWhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

Exit mobile version