Mass Wedding for 32 Couples Conducted at Chennai Temple Complex — Chief Minister M.K. Stalin Presides Over the Event

Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thiru M.K. Stalin today presided over a mass wedding ceremony for 32 couples held at the Kapaleeswarar Temple Mandapam in Mylapore, Chennai. The event was organized under the aegis of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, as part of its initiative to support underprivileged and differently-abled individuals.

The HR&CE Department continues its committed efforts to uphold temple traditions and extend social support through structured schemes. These include renovation of temple premises, reconstruction of temple tanks and mandapams, improving basic amenities for devotees, and protection of temple assets from encroachments.

Additionally, the department is actively establishing educational and welfare institutions under temple administration, honoring saints and spiritual leaders, and conducting mass weddings for economically backward, differently-abled, and marginalized communities.

Since this government assumed office:

• In FY 2022–2023, mass weddings were conducted for 500 couples.
• In FY 2023–2024, the number increased to 600 couples.
• In FY 2024–2025, it further rose to 700 couples, making it a total of 1,800 couples who have benefited so far under the temple-based mass wedding scheme.

The government has also provided gold mangalsutras and ceremonial wedding gift sets to 156 differently-abled couples across the state.

For FY 2025–2026, the HR&CE Department has announced that 1,000 couples will be supported through temple-administered weddings. Each couple will receive wedding gifts worth ₹70,000, including 4 grams of gold for the mangalsutra.

Today’s inaugural ceremony in Chennai marks the first phase of this year’s initiative. 32 couples were married, and each received:

• Gold mangalsutra
• Wedding gift kit including bed, chairs, almirah, gas stove and cylinder, mixer grinder, pressure cooker, household utensils, and puja items.

To date, 576 couples across Tamil Nadu have already benefited in the first phase of the 2025 initiative.

Dignitaries Present at the Event:

• Thiru K.N. Nehru, Minister for Municipal Administration
• Thiru Ma. Subramanian, Minister for Health and Family Welfare
• Thiru P.K. Sekarbabu, Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments
• Thiruvavaduthurai Sri Dharmapuram Adheenam, senior pontiffs from various mathas
• Thirumathi R. Priya, Mayor of Greater Chennai Corporation
• MLAs Thiru T. Velu, Thiru Thogai Govindhan, Thiru Joseph Samuel, and Thiru S.J. Kathir Anand
• Deputy Mayor M. Mahesh Kumar
• Dr. K. Manivasan, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Culture & HR&CE
• Thiru P.N. Sridhar, IAS, Commissioner, HR&CE
• Dr. C. Palani, IAS, Additional Commissioner
• Members of the Advisory Committee and representatives from various civic bodies and departments

The event marks a significant step in Tamil Nadu’s ongoing commitment to social equity, inclusivity, and cultural preservation through its temple administration system.

Issued by:
Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9