The Sri Payaraneeswarar Temple in Udayarpalayam in Ariyalur district, where the late sage, Sankaracharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal stayed regularly, and would take a boat to pray at the Neerali Mandapam in the midst of the temple tank, is being renovated.
Though the temple belonged to the descendants of the Udayarpalayam Zamin, who still live in a beautiful but dilapidated palace on the premises, the administration of the temple is now under the control of the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.
HR&CE officials say the renovation will cost ₹2 crore. The nearby Varadaraja Perumal temple, is also being renovated, at a cost of ₹1 crore. “We are trying to get sponsors to renovate the temple tank, known as Gandeepa Theertham. Kumbabishekam would be performed only after completing renovation of the tank,” officials explained. They said the temple owns around 120 acres, and added that the appointment of a special executive officer was necessary to manage the properties and maintain the temple.
