Tiruvannamalai temple to get Rs 8-crore hall, new queue system
Following a review meeting at the Tiruvannamalai Collectorate, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister P K Sekar Babu addressed the press and announced a series of additional measures to improve infrastructure and facilities at the temple.
'A queue system similar to the one in Tiruchendur is being implemented here, he said. 'A Rs 8-crore master plan is in progress to construct a waiting hall that can seat around 2,000 devotees. It will be equipped with fans, drinking water, toilets, and televisions to screen abhishekams and other rituals. More LED screens will also be installed across the temple to broadcast daily pujas.'
The minister noted that the influx of devotees not just during Karthigai Deepam or Pournami, but on regular days as well has created pressure on temple infrastructure. He added CM Stalin directed him and Minister EV Velu to jointly formulate long-term development plans, he added.
Speaking on regulating mobile phones, the minister said a final decision would be made in ten days. 'Since the temple complex is vast and often crowded, banning cell phones could make it hard to trace lost individuals. We'll take a considered call after discussion.'
He also announced that a public relations officer would be appointed to manage crowd flow and assist foreign and interstate visitors, and a new deputy commissioner post would be created to strengthen administrative capacity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Mumbai To Ahmedabad In 2 Hours: Indias First Bullet Train To Start Soon; Check Expected Speed
India's First Bullet Train: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday announced that India's first bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will begin operations very soon, reducing travel time between the two cities to just 2 hours and 7 minutes. He was speaking to reporters at the Bhavnagar terminus in Gujarat after virtually flagging off three trains, namely the Ayodhya Express, Rewa Pune Express, and Jabalpur Raipur Express. He further stated that the bullet train project is progressing rapidly. 508-Kilometre Rail Corridor The 508-kilometre high-speed rail corridor will connect Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) with key cities in Gujarat, including Vapi, Surat, Vadodara, and Ahmedabad. The trains are expected to run at speeds of up to 320 km/h. Vaishnaw also outlined several upcoming railway projects in Gujarat, including a new Porbandar–Rajkot train, a Rs 135-crore coach maintenance facility at Ranavav station, a railway flyover in Porbandar, two Gati Shakti cargo terminals, and a container terminal at a developing port in Bhavnagar. He highlighted the nation's progress, saying that during the last 11 years, 34,000 km of new railway tracks have been installed under the PM Narendra Modi administration, averaging almost 12 km per day. He described the 1,300 railway stations undergoing renovation as an unprecedented endeavour in the history of Indian Railways. PM Modi's Vision Ashwini Vaishnaw pointed out that India is implementing this change while maintaining train operations and keeping stations operational, which reflects the scope of PM Modi's vision, in contrast to developed nations, where station redevelopment entails completely stopping services. Adding further, he cited the introduction of contemporary trains such as the Vande Bharat Express, the Amrit Bharat Express, and the Namo Bharat Express. Eight Amrit Bharat trains with high-class amenities and reasonably priced tickets have been introduced thus far. According to the minister, passengers have responded favorably to these new trains, which were constructed using cutting-edge technology. With the help of double-engine governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, significant railway projects are also progressing in those states, in addition to Gujarat, the minister highlighted. (With IANS Inputs)
India.com
4 hours ago
- India.com
Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train service: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw provides major update, says the high-speed train will now be...
Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train service: In a significant update on high-speed connectivity in India, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said that India's first bullet train service will commence very soon. Cutting the travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to two hours and seven minutes, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train service will cover a total distance of 508 kilometres starting from Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). Here are all the details you need to know about the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train service. When will Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train service start? 'The first bullet train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad will start very soon, and the work on the project is going on at a fast pace. When it starts running, the journey from Mumbai to Ahmedabad will take only two hours and seven minutes,' Vaishnaw was quoted as saying by a PTI report. Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train service: Which stations will be covered? The report also said that India's first bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad will span 508 kilometres. It will start from the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) area in Mumbai, and connect to Gujarat's Vapi, Surat, Anand, Vadodara and Ahmedabad. Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train service: What's the top speed? As per media reports, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train service is expected to run at a high speed of 320 km per hour. Addressing a gathering here, the Union minister also gave details of the upcoming railway projects in Gujarat, including a new train between Porbandar and Rajkot, a Rs 135-crore coach maintenance facility at Ranavav station, a railway flyover in Porbandar city, two Gati Shakti cargo terminals, and a container terminal at an upcoming port in Bhavnagar. As per a report by PTI news agency, several new projects have also been undertaken in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, with the double-engine governments in the two states making projects progress rapidly. (With inputs from agencies)
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
4 hours ago
- First Post
Beyond Cholapuram: Forgotten Chola temples of Tamil Nadu echo a glorious past
The Melpadi shrines may not have the grandeur of the Brihadeeshwara temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram nor the intricate craftsmanship of the Airavatesvara temple at Darasuram, but they form an important part of the larger Chola narrative read more Whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits a place, it gets a boost in popularity. Remember him on a Lakshadweep beach, post which folks suddenly began to think of it as an alternative to the Maldives? His most recent visit has been to a destination that is both spiritual and historic, the Shiva temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram, in Tamil Nadu. While the Brihadeeshwarar temple, to use the shrine's real name, is magnificent and has been one of the 'Great Living Chola temples' on the Unesco World Heritage list since 1987, there are numerous smaller Chola shrines too that deserve a mention. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The magnificent Shiva temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram Around 143 kilometres west of Chennai and about 235 kilometres north of Gangaikonda Cholapuram lies the tiny town of Melpadi. It is a tranquil place, with few pilgrims seeking divine blessings and no Instagrammers looking for exciting content for their online followers. It wasn't always this quiet, though. More than a thousand years ago, Melpadi lay at the boundary of the jostling southern powers, with the Chola empire on one side and the Rashtrakutas on the other. Later, the Western Chalukyans replaced the Rashtrakutas. In the first half of the 10th century, the area came into the control of Parantaka Chola I (reign 907–955 CE), who renamed the place 'Virnarayanapuram' after his own title of 'Vir Narayana'. This was not mere renaming of a place but territorial marking by a ruler. And Parantaka wasn't the last Chola ruler who did that at Melpadi. His descendant, the famed Rajaraja Chola I (reign 985-1014 CE), built the Somanatheeswarar temple here around the year 1000 CE—the same time that he was building the majestic Brihadeeshwarar temple at Thanjavur. Some believe that it was Parantaka who built the original shrine here, in bricks, and Rajaraja rebuilt it in stone later. In the footsteps of his ancestor, Rajaraja also renamed the place after his own title. Goodbye Virnarayanapuram, enter Rajasrayapuram! Standing behind two layers of high walls, the Somanatheeswarar temple looks rather plain from the outside. Sitting atop its outermost wall are Nandi icons, placed at regular intervals. The inner wall is punctuated by a lofty gateway. Entering this, a visitor finds himself in an innermost courtyard that has the main shrine as well as multiple mandapas. A mukha mandapa has elegant, rounded pillars. In another mandapa are various carved icons, including Ganesha, Saptamatrikas, Veerabhadra, and more. Several architectural elements here come from later eras, including additions made by the Vijaynagara rulers. Divine iconography surrounded by inscriptions in the Somanatheeswarar temple The main shrine, dedicated to Shiva, is topped by a stone vimana, an engineering achievement of the Chola era. In various niches are icons depicting Dakshinamurthy, Vishnu, Brahma, etc. With inscriptions carved on almost every inch around them, these tiny ancient shrines resemble living history. One of the most historically significant inscriptions found here is of Rajaraja Chola. It is in the form of a royal eulogy recounting his military successes. Specifically, a victory over the Pandyas and conquest of the Kudamali region find mention. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A depiction of Dakshinamurthy Shiva Reading more inscriptions is akin to going through a history book. Another one mentions a nobleman titled 'Pallavayan' (indicating Pallava lineage) in Rajaraja's service, and his donation here suggests the integration of former Pallava elites into the Chola administration. Inscriptions mention Rajaraja's direct patronage of the shrine, his land grants to it, and his renaming the town—all showing how the Cholas had turned this contested border area into part of their core kingdom. The inscriptions also mention Rajaraja building a new temple in the vicinity, which is considered a 'Pallippadai' or a memorial shrine. This new shrine was the Choleeswarar temple, which still stands. No ordinary shrine, the Choleeswarar was built on the mortal remains of Rajaraja's grandfather, Arinjaya Chola (reign 956–967 CE), who died in war. In terms of its structure, this is a very simple shrine and lacks many of the signature elements of other Chola temples—the Rajagopuram, the sacrificial platform, and the ceremonial stambh outside. Nor is there a shrine to Amman or the goddess and consort of Shiva, or subsidiary shrines to Ganesha and Chandikeshwara. But set amidst paddy fields, with the Ponnai River close by, its setting is idyllic. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A divine icon within the Choleeswarar temple at Melpadi The temple is compact in design, with a single granite structure containing an ardha-mandapam, a mukha mandapam, and the inner sanctum. Though much smaller than the Somanatheeswarar, the Choleeswarar is also a repository of inscriptions that tell us about its past. One of them reveals that this Shiva temple was originally called Arinjigai-Isvaram. Going by this name, in effect, Rajaraja Chola attempted to transform his grandfather into a form of Shiva—a customary posthumous honour for kings deemed worthy of worship. Perhaps there was also a political reason—that of reinforcing the Chola claim over this border territory and adding more legitimacy to Rajaraja's rule by venerating his lineage. There are icons within niches here, but the lack of depth in the niches reveals that they may have been added much later, possibly by another dynasty. It appears that the people of Melpadi knew and acknowledged that a Chola royal was buried here. And this may have caused the temple's popular name to change to Choleeswarar, meaning 'Chola's Ishwara'. Unlike the Somanatheeswarar, which remains in worship—subject to Archaeological Survey of India rules about its timings—the Choleeswarar is a monument where prayers are not conducted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The locals still feel an attachment to the Somanatheeswarar, but the Choleeswarar is more a royal site. There is one aspect of the latter temple that the locals are quick to point out. It is believed that, around equinox days—March 21st and September 21st—the rising sun's rays travel through the east-facing entrance and shine directly on the Shiva linga for a brief while at dawn. The black granite Linga glows in hues of gold, and local folks look upon this almost as if the sun had come to pay homage to the buried Chola king. The Melpadi shrines may not have the grandeur of the Brihadeeshwara temples of Thanjavur and Gangaikonda Cholapuram nor the intricate craftsmanship of the Airavatesvara Temple at Darasuram, but they form an important part of the larger Chola narrative and are representative of the large number of lesser-known shrines built by that illustrious dynasty. The author is a heritage explorer with a penchant for seeking obscure sites. A brand consultant by profession, he tweets @HiddenHeritage. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
