Mulamkadakam Devi Temple, one of the ancient temples in Kollam, suffered major damage in a fire that broke out in the early hours of Saturday.
Though the fire didn't reach the sanctum sanctorum, parts of the conical roof in East gopuram and the wooden panel on which ‘Ananthasayanam’ was carved were gutted in the fire.
The framework of wooden wall plates and rafters of ‘pattambalam’ and ‘navagrahas’ of the centuries old temple were also partially destroyed.
Three Fire and Rescue units from Chamakkada and Kadappakada were pressed into service and it took the firefighters more than one hour to extinguish the flames. It was motorists who were passing through the road who reported the incident and alerted the authorities about the fire.
As per primary assumption, fire from the ‘kedavilakku’ kept in the temple or short circuit could have caused the accident.