Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) P.K. Sekarbabu has clarified that entry ticket rates at the Tiruchendur Subramanya Swamy temple had not been hiked in any manner since 2018.
The then AIADMK government had increased rates for darshan, only for the Kanda Sashti festival. The ticket rate was increased from ₹500 to ₹2,000 for Vishwaroopa darshan and from ₹500 to ₹3,000 for abhishekam.
“Free darshan, and special darshan at ₹100 remain the same. The only change that has been brought into effect is a hike of ₹200 for special tickets that cost ₹800. This too has been done after due process of public consultation,” he said.
A video showing that ticket rates had been hiked has been doing the rounds on social media.
In the last seven days, over 20 lakh devotees visited the temple. As many as eight lakh visited on Saturday for the Surasamharam. “The crowds were managed by as many as 4,500 police personnel. We had ensured availability of buses throughout the day. Temporary sheds had been arranged at 26 locations for devotees, who stayed for six days and fasted,” he added.
