Devanathan allegedly targeted women who visited the temple alone, enticing them into the sanctum.
: The scandal came to light after the priest allegedly recorded these acts on his mobile phone. The footage, consisting of approximately 19 clips totaling 90 minutes, was leaked when he sent the device to a local mechanic for repair. kanchipuram priest devanathan mms scandal
The footage, believed to have been filmed in June, July, and August of 2009, revealed that the acts occurred while the priest was performing his duties. Witnesses and reports suggested that the priest would take short breaks from his acts to attend to devotees, distribute prasadham , and handle offerings before resuming. Devanathan allegedly targeted women who visited the temple
The Devanathan incident also highlights the changing dynamics of authority in the digital age. Historically, a priest’s authority was localized and unquestioned within the hierarchy of the temple. Today, a priest’s authority is constantly subject to the democratic, and often chaotic, judgment of millions of anonymous netizens. Social media functions as a parallel court of public opinion, where the traditional safeguards of religious institutions are rendered obsolete by the speed of a share button. The HR & CE (Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments) department, which governs temple administration in Tamil Nadu, inevitably found itself pressured into responding not just to the incident, but to the sheer momentum of the online outrage. The footage, believed to have been filmed in
Devanathan was a priest at the historic Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple in Kanchipuram.