The Devi Karumariamman temple in Thiruverkadu will get three new gopurams (towers) as part of its kumbabishekam. The works are to be part of two projects worth around ₹80 crore and are expected to be completed within two years.
Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) P.K. Sekarbabu said the gopurams and entrances being built would help with crowd management at the temple. “Roads will be laid leading to these gopurams, one of which will have five tiers and two will be of three tiers each,” he said, adding that parking spaces would be created near all these entrances.
“Right now the temple only has one entry, which also serves as the exit. The temple gets crowded on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays and on festival days. The crowds have become unmanageable. Shops will be constructed, along with the parking spaces, for the convenience of devotees,” Mr. Sekarbabu said.
As part of the kumbabishekam, several mandapams, which are currently brick and mortar structures, will be replaced with granite stones, which is the approved material for temples. The main sanctum sanctorum of Devi Karumariamman, those housing the 22 deities in the prakaram and the puthu medai (the dias around the snake mound) will also get granite structures.
The annadhanam mandapam is also being expanded with a waiting hall on the ground floor, and the first floor will house the annadhana koodam and the second floor will have rooms for miscellaneous uses. The pongal mandapam, where devotees cook pongal offerings in the open, will be shifted from the Rajagopuram side to the north side, where hair tonsure and ear piercing halls will come up.
A smaller wedding hall with a seating capacity of 200 persons and 40 cottages will also be built. “This is for devotees who stay overnight as part of rituals. The temple has a practice of people staying overnight, which is not being taken up due to the lack of rooms,” Mr. Sekarbabu added.
