Attendance at the Machcheswarar Temple dropped heavily due to a loss of trust and fear of social stigma among female devotees.
The priest’s downfall came not through a confession or a police raid but through a mobile‑phone malfunction. When Devanathan’s phone developed a technical issue, he gave it to a repair shop for servicing. The technician discovered the explicit videos, copied them, and soon the clips began circulating on the internet and via MMS. The footage quickly became a sensation, particularly among teenagers, and was sold as pirated CDs on the streets of Kanchipuram and beyond.
Remembering figures like Devanathan Gurukkal is also an act of mourning for a vanishing way of life. The traditional Patashala (school) system has changed. The rigorous, years-long memorization of Vedic texts is rare today.
, such as the technician who found the phone or the impact on the local community? kanchipuram devanathan gurukkal
To honor his memory, the continues to publish his commentaries on the Kamika Agama , ensuring that for centuries to come, every time a priest raises a coconut to break before Lord Siva, the shadow of Devanathan Gurukkal falls upon that act.
It was in this very sanctum that Devanathan Gurukkal, a 35‑ to 36‑year‑old priest of the temple, committed the acts that would later send shockwaves through the community.
In August 2010, nearly nine months after his surrender, an eight‑page charge sheet was prepared against Devanathan by the police, but reports indicate that the legal process dragged on without a swift resolution. Attendance at the Machcheswarar Temple dropped heavily due
In the labyrinthine temple town of Kanchipuram—renowned globally for its silks and its towering gopurams—there exists a heritage far older and more fragile than any woven fabric. It is the heritage of the Vedic tradition.
The life of Devanathan Gurukkal highlights a philosophy that is slowly fading in the modern world: (selfless action).
: Devanathan Gurukkal was arrested and underwent a lengthy trial. In 2011, a fast-track court in Kanchipuram sentenced him to life imprisonment on charges of rape and other offenses. The technician discovered the explicit videos, copied them,
The used by the prosecution during the bail hearings.
According to eye-witnesses, on the third day, he performed the Rudra Abhishekam on himself by meditating on the Panchakshari Mantra ("Namah Sivaya"). He entered the sanctum sanctorum of a private shrine and did not emerge. When the devotees entered, they found the Gurukkal in Padmasana , having consciously exited his body. It was the mark of a true Siva Yogi .
मिलिए इस पुजारी. से नाम है देवनाथ सुब्रमण्यम गुरु कल उम्र करीब 36. साल कांचीपुरम के इस मंदिर में पुजारी था देवनाथ भगवान की देखरेख. YouTube·ABP NEWS Pujari turns villain, films women and blackmails them
The story of Kanchipuram Devanathan Gurukkal is not merely a salacious headline from 2009; it is a cautionary tale about the vulnerability of faith to human weakness. The priest’s actions—recording sexual acts in the holiest chamber of a temple, then continuing to perform pujas for unsuspecting devotees—represent an almost unimaginable breach of trust.
For a city celebrated as the "City of a Thousand Temples" and one of the holiest sites in Hinduism, this event sent a wave of disbelief and outrage through the devout community. This is the story of a priest whose actions would shatter the sanctity of the temple and leave a lasting stain on the city's spiritual fabric.