Chennai, Aug 21 (PTI) The shore temple of Sri Subrahmanya Swamy at Tiruchendur in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district is all set for a massive makeover at a cost of Rs 171 crore.

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The renowned temple, which draws devotees of Lord Murugan all through the year, is among over 2,500 temples the state government has identified for taking up renovation, restoration and maintenance chores this year.

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Administrative sanction has been accorded for Rs 365 crore, in total, to take up renovation, restoration and maintenance works. Numerous works like establishing a garden, providing lighting, mending compund walls, etc., would also be taken up with generous contribution from donors.

"Owing to the size of the project and also because the proposed works fall in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CZR) in Tiruchendur, the state government has sought environmental clearance from the Central government," J Kumaragurubaran, Commissioner, HR & CE, told PTI.

Exuding confidence that the clearance would be provided soon, he said massive facilities for devotees would come up soon at Tiruchendur.

At least 4 lakh devotees throng the temple, which is among the six abodes of Lord Murugan, to witness the annual Soorasamharam event, while thousands visit the shrine on any given day. The wait for darshan of the Lord becomes quite long during weekends and holidays.

Devotees who visit this ancient temple invariably face difficulty in obtaining accommodation close to the temple and also in getting hassle-free darshan.

Sri Adi Sankara visited the holy town, close to the Bay of Bengal, and had composed the 'Subrahmanya Bhujangam' in praise of Lord Murugan, describing the roaring sea skirting the temple and also the Lord's limitless mercy.

"We are striving to perform the temple pujas as per Agama shastra system, and trying to improve the basic amenities required for the devotees," HR & CE Minister P K Sekar Babu said.

A plan has been worked out to complete the pending announcements made in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in the last two financial years. Department officials have been told to expedite the works, he said.

"Since May last year, the state government approved the proposals to renovate over 2,500 temples and has accorded administrative sanction for Rs 365 crore to execute the works," Kumaragurubaran said.

The works approved by a 14-member State Level Expert Committee comprising experts in structural, archaeology, conservation besides sthapathi (sculptors), would be executed without altering the temple structure or murals, he said. This measure follows a direction from the Madras High Court.

These works would be executed by donors in accordance with Rule 12(2) of the Management and Preservation of Properties of Religious Institutions Rules.

According to the HR & CE Minister, monthly review meetings are conducted to ascertain and expedite the pace of implementing schemes and programmes of the temples besides the announcements made in the state assembly.

"Only the DMK government is conducting review meetings regularly. We are facing a large number of court cases and are getting many good judgments based on our fairness and transparency in administration," he said.

Meanwhile, following the successful testing at the Andavar temple, Vadapalani, here, the HR & CE department has proposed to launch credit/debit card and UPI payment facilities for about 500 temples in the state on August 24.

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