As many as 20 couples tied the nuptial knot during a mass wedding held at the Arulmigu Sugavaneswarar Temple in Salem on Wednesday (July 2, 2025).

Following the mass wedding ceremony organised in Chennai for 32 couples by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin through the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, Minister for Tourism R. Rajendran presided over a similar event at the temple’s marriage hall. The weddings were conducted for 20 economically disadvantaged couples, and the Minister distributed wedding gifts to the newlyweds.

Each couple received gifts worth ₹70,000, including a 4-gram gold thali (mangalsutra), under the auspices of the temple. Additionally, they were provided with 31 types of household items such as a wristwatch, puja articles, cot, bureau, mattress, mixer grinder, and utensils.

Collector R. Brindha Devi, Mayor A. Ramachandran, Salem MP T.M. Selvaganapathy, former MLA S.R. Sivalingam, Deputy Mayor M. Saradha Devi, HR and CE Joint Commissioner Sabarmathi were present.

In Erode, Minister for Housing, Prohibition, and Excise, S. Muthusamy, presided over a mass wedding organised for 34 couples at Arulmigu Soleeswarar Temple at Perundurai. The Minister also distributed gifts to the couples in the presence of Collector S. Kandasamy, MLAs A.G. Venkatachalam and V.C. Chandhirakumar, Mayor S. Nagarathinam, Deputy Mayor V. Selvaraj, Erode Revenue Divisional Officer N. Sindhuja, and HR and CE Joint Commissioner Paranjothi.