{
  "id": 17460139,
  "title": "Devotees worried over conduct of Kandasashti festival at Kandakottam temple",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/devotees-worried-over-conduct-of-kandasashti-festival-at-kandakottam",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-31T19:27:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/devotees-worried-over-conduct-of-kandasashti-festival-at-kandakottam-temple/article71650165.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Devotees of the Sri Muthukumaraswamy Temple, also known as Kandhakottam, are concerned about the Kandasashti festival this year. Typically, tickets for the Laksharcharnai are sold after Vijayadasami, but this year, there has been no indication of ticket sales. The festival, which usually attracts 35,000 devotees, is scheduled to begin on November 10. A. B. Srinivasan, a 65-year-old devotee, expressed his worry about the lack of progress in the festival's preparations. Saravanan, another devotee, highlighted that this would be the 99th consecutive year of the Kandasashti festival, featuring grand concerts and prasadam distribution. However, several issues have arisen, such as the lack of tender calls for essential items like pandals, coconuts, bags, and flowers. The executive officer's recent leave and the transfer of powers have further complicated the situation. The trustees, a five-member team representing the Berri Chettis community, have been unable to pay salaries or sign cheques, as the executive officer has taken away their cheque signing authority without informing them. The court has only intervened in cases of temple misconduct, and the HR&CE Department has been notified of the issue.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Devotees worried about Kandasashti festival preparations",
    "Ticket sales delayed, no indication of sales yet",
    "Issues include lack of tender calls and executive officer's authority issues"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}