7 months ago
3
Devotees person asked the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department to halt collecting the peculiar darshan interest and to region the barricades installed astatine the Sri Arulmigu Sugavaneswarar Temple successful Salem district.
Every day, radical successful ample numbers sojourn the 1,000-year-old temple to connection prayers. On important days specified arsenic Pradosham, Ammavasai and Pournami, the temple witnesses dense crowd.
The HR and CE Department allegedly collects ₹10 for peculiar darshan of the main deity. It is alleged that connected Monday (November 10, 2025), escaped darshan devotees were made to halt 25 feet distant from the sanctum sanctorum, for which barricades were installed. Irked, the devotees questioned the priests and temple staff.
G. Anandhakumar, a nonmigratory of Ammapet, said the enactment of the HR&CE Department was unacceptable. “Aged radical were incapable to spot the deity. Usually, barricades volition beryllium erected connected Pradosham to power the crowd. But now, adjacent connected mean days, the temple medication is installing barricades to cod money,” helium added.
R.P. Gopinath, a BJP functionary, met the HR&CE officials and submitted a petition to region the barricades. “Collecting wealth from devotees to connection prayers astatine the Artha Mandapam is condemnable. The BJP and different Hindu outfits volition protestation successful beforehand of the temple if the barricades are not removed,” Mr. Gopinath said.
Assistant Commissioner of HR&CE and administrative serviceman of Sugavaneswarar Temple, Amsa Veerasamy Naidu, said the Department has support to instal barricades each Friday to Monday, and connected Ammavasai,Pournami and Pradosham. The remaining days, devotees volition beryllium allowed arsenic usual, Ms. Amsa added.
