According To Ashley Madison, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, Is India’s Non-Monogamy Hotspot

When you think of Kanchipuram, you probably first think of nothing at all. With a little bit of research, silk and temples probably spring to mind. But you'd be sorely mistaken. This Tamil Nadu is known for rewriting the rules of intimacy in contemporary India. According to recent data released by Ashley Madison, a global dating platform infamous for catering to married individuals seeking an affair, Kanchipuram tops India’s list of districts with the most non-monogamous activity. In June 2025, this town of just two lakh people outdid Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru in user sign-ups and what the app defines as “non-monogamy intensity".

Kanchipuram’s sudden rise is as startling as it is symbolic. Last year, it was a distant 17th on the platform’s India leaderboard. This year, it’s number one. Ashley Madison hasn't explained what drove this dramatic leap, but its significance is hard to ignore.

Why Kanchipuram? There’s no clear answer, but perhaps the question misses the point. The more revealing trend lies in where this shift is happening: outside metros, in places we assume are conservative and traditional. The image of non-monogamy as an urban indulgence is being flipped.

In a global survey conducted earlier this year through YouGov, Ashley Madison reported that India — alongside Brazil — ranked highest for self-admitted infidelity, with over 53% of respondents confessing to having had an affair. India is already the app’s sixth largest market worldwide. What was once considered a taboo is being reframed, not necessarily as ideal, but as real. As technology redefines connection, we can explore the boundaries of monogamy, especially in a society where divorce remains stigmatised.

Interestingly, Kanchipuram isn’t the only surprise on the list. Other tier-2 and tier-3 cities, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Kamrup, Raigarh, Chandigarh, round out the top slots. Mumbai is notably absent. While urban centres may provide the freedom, it’s smaller towns that are showing the appetite, and perhaps the boldness, to act on it.

It’s easy to dismiss this as a sign of moral decay, but we'd rather ask what people are looking for, and why they aren’t finding it within conventional marriages. Is it dissatisfaction? Loneliness? Autonomy? Or simply the convenience of flirting with risk?

It's not that marriage is on the decline, but rather that its definition is expanding. Non-monogamy in India is no longer the domain of the bohemian or the bold. Increasingly, it's an affair unfolding in tiny, unassuming towns across the country.

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