TVK minister, masked & undercover, finds Tiruchendur temple staff seeking bribes for ‘speed darshan’

A priest and two security personnel were suspended for allegedly accepting bribes, and two others for allegedly charging devotees for mundan.

The Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple in Tiruchendur, Tamil Nadu | Photo: Vickyavw via Wikimedia Commons

Chennai: TVK’s Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) minister Ramesh went undercover at the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple in Tiruchendur Friday morning and uncovered a bribery network for ‘speed darshan’ that resulted in the suspension of five temple employees.

Wearing a mask to avoid recognition, the minister was allegedly approached by a priest who demanded Rs 4,000 for faster darshan. When the minister indicated he had no cash, the staff suggested an online payment instead.

A priest and two security personnel were suspended for allegedly accepting bribes, and two others for allegedly charging devotees for hair donation (mundan) services at the temple.

In a post on X, minister Ramesh said the action was part of a broader review of the temple’s functioning.

“We are conducting a review at the Tiruchendur Subramaniya Swamy Temple, including devotee darshan, annadanam, basic facilities, property records details, renovation works, and pending revenues due to the temple. Strict action will be taken without bias against anyone involved in irregularities, and it will be announced soon,” he said.

திருச்செந்தூர் சுப்பிரமணிய சுவாமி திருக்கோயிலில் தொடர்ந்து பக்தர்கள் தரிசனம், அன்னதானம், அடிப்படை வசதிகள், சொத்துப் பதிவேடு விவரங்கள், திருப்பணிகள் மற்றும் நிலுவையில் உள்ள கோயிலுக்கு வர வேண்டிய வருவாய் போன்ற பல்வேறு கோணங்களில் ஆய்வு நடத்தி வருகிறோம்.

முறைகேட்டில் ஈடுபடுபவர்கள்…

— TVK Ramesh (@RameshOffcl) May 29, 2026

One of Tamil Nadu’s most revered Murugan shrines, the Tiruchendur temple has faced longstanding complaints from devotees over poor crowd management, commercialisation and malpractices.

BJP state president Nainar Nagendran welcomed the minister’s action but questioned whether officials beyond the suspended temple staff also had a share in the bribes. He pressed the TVK government for systemic reform of the department.

“What systemic changes has the new TVK government brought in the HR & CE department? Will introducing the darshan ticket system merely under the new name ‘online slot’ prevent irregularities? The government should identify the irregularities happening in temples and release a white paper before the public,” he said in a post on X.

Nainar also called for limiting the HR&CE department’s role in temple pooja administration and urged adoption of online queue monitoring systems to bring Tiruchendur on a par with Tirupati. “Doing inspections only for releasing reels will not bring any real change, the TVK government must realise this!” he said.

Senior BJP leader Vanathi Srinivasan, who had earlier raised the issue of bribery and extra fee charged at the temple, said the problem was not confined to Tiruchendur.

“I urge the HR & CE Department to take strong action at least now to prevent such irregularities, so that devotees can have peaceful darshan with peace of mind in temples,” she said.