A decade-and-a-half wait will soon end as the rope car facility to the Sri Lakshminarasimhar temple on the hillock in Sholinghur, near Ranipet, will begin operations in September.
Currently, the construction of two elevators near the rope car landing area on the hillock is in progress. Senior citizens and persons with disabilities will be given priority to use the elevators so they do not have to use the 36 stairs that comprise the final stretch of the climb to the temple.
The new facility is being built after demolishing five dilapidated rest-houses used by archakars and as storehouses for pooja supplies. “Because of the rocky terrain, we also constructed elevators to ensure the safety of aged devotees. This was also why the plan to construct ramps for persons with disabilities was dropped,” M. Jaya, Assistant Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department (Ranipet), told The Hindu.
