A rope car to transport devotees to Rathinagireeswarar Temple atop Ayyarmalai, about 10 km from Kulithalai in Karur district, is expected to become operational by November.
Situated at a height of 1,178 feet, the temple attracts a large number of devotees, who have to climb 1,017 steps to reach the top. Hence, they have been demanding a rope car for easy access.
Seeking to fulfill the demand, the facility was sanctioned for the Saivite temple at an estimated cost of ₹6.17 crore. The work began in February 2017 and was scheduled to be completed by June 2018. However, the project suffered a time overrun and authorities planned to complete it last year.
In May last, HR & CE Commissioner K. Phanindra Reddy inspected the progress of work and instructed officials and contractors to ensure completion of the project by October. As civil works were nearing completion, the lockdown enforced in view of the pandemic interrupted work again, sources said.
According to sources, civil works, including on upper and lower terminals of the ropeway, have almost been completed. The upper terminal will be located near Amman Shrine atop the hill, while the base will be near 100 Pillar Mandapam.
All equipment and material for erecting the ropeway have arrived, said Transport Minister M.R.Vijayabhaskar, who inspected the works last week.
“The rope way will have four cabins each moving up and down simultaneously. Each car will have a seating capacity of two. Once commissioned, about 120 devotees can use the rope car to go up and return in an hour. The erection work will be completed soon and the facility will be brought to public use after trial runs,” the Minister added.
