Discussions are on with land owners for making a second road to the hill-top Tiruttani temple, one of the six important shrines of Lord Muruga, in Tiruvallur district.
Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P. K. Sekarbabu said out of 18 private land owners, 15 had agreed to part with their lands. “We are holding discussions with the remaining persons. Applications have been submitted to the forest department for its approval and alternative land have been identified,” he said.
The proposed road would be of 2 km length and the ghat section of the road that runs to 1.2 km length would be of two lanes’ width and the rest would be 16 mt wide. The detailed project report for the road is getting ready, Mr. Sekarbabu added.
The temple gets around one lakh devotees on the weekends and five lakh during special days such as Krithigai since it is one of the Arupadaiveedus. The existing road on the eastern side of the hill gets congested and the new one that would come up on the western side would help decongest it, he explained. Meanwhile on Monday, the Minister also launched the silver temple car that was recently repaired. The 21-foot- tall car that had been commissioned in 1960 had been in a state of disuse for the past 12 years after its wooden framework disintegrated and required repairs. “It is brought out at least twice a year, once on the seventh day of the annual brahmotsavam and the Thirupadi Thirupugazh festival. Devotees also pay to bring out the silver car,” Mr. Sekarbabu said. The ther has been repaired at a cost of ₹4 crore using 529.584 kg of silver that was in the custody of the temple. The other works were carried out using donor funds.
