The entire ‘prakaram’ surrounding the Sri Pundarikaksha Perumal Temple, one of the 108 Divya Desams, at Tiruvellarai near here, is being given a facelift.
The ‘prakaram’ measures about 300 feet each on the northern, eastern, southern, and western side of the temple and has a uniform width of 75 feet. The massive work, sponsored by a single donor, commenced about six months ago and is being executed in full swing. Thorny bushes and thick vegetation around the ‘prakaram’ have been fully cleared.
“The ‘prakaram’ had remained neglected for decades together. The initiative now aims to provide ‘pradakshnam’ or circumambulation path on the outer ‘prakaram’ of the temple,” says P.Jayaraman, Joint Commissioner and Executive Officer of the temple.
The beautification project includes building a 15-foot wide pathway around the temple. The balance 60 feet wide area would be used for setting up ‘nandavanam’,” he said.
“Fruit-bearing and parrot-friendly saplings would be planted on the ‘nandavanam’ to make it an abode for parrots,” he said. The project also includes erecting crocodile and elephant statues to represent the Sri Gajendramoksham episode at the ‘prakaram’. The donor work has brought cheers to the devotees as the temple authorities had cleared the encroachments on the eastern side and thrown it open for public access.
