The ‘Maha Kumbabishekam’ of the fully re-constructed 200-year-old Sri Selva Vinayakar and Sri Draupadi Amman Temples located on the same premises at Manjakuppam on Nethaji Road here was performed after a gap of 56 years on Monday.
The temples have been reconstructed at a cost of Rs. 2.5 crore. Preparations for the consecration started on September 2 with ‘Ganapathi Homam’ and ‘Lakshmi Homam.’ The ‘yaga sala’ with five ‘kundams’ was located in the open space of a marriage hall situated on the northern side of the temples.
‘Yagnas’ and other rituals were carried out under the guidance of P. Thiagaraja Gurukkal from Tiruvannamalai, who acted as a ‘sarva,’ and S. Sampath of Velli Pillaiyar Temple as ‘sarva bothagar,’ besides 20 gurukkals drawn from places such as Cuddalore, Chennai and Bangalore.
The new structures have been built using black granite. The salient aspect of the Draupadi Amman Temple is its “padma peedam” (lotus-shape pedestal) on which the tower has been erected.