Date:09/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/09/stories/2008080957540100.htm

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Stones for temple renovation work arrive

R. Sairam

— Photo: K. Ganesan

First lot:Stones that arrived from Bangalore being placed on the temple premises.

MADURAI: A consignment of five stones, procured from Bangalore, arrived at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here on Friday.

The first lot of the total 40 stones, they would be used to replace the cracked roofing at the ‘Navarathiri Golu Mandapam’ at the ‘second praharam’ near the sanctum sanctorum of Goddess Meenakshi, K. Rajanayagam, Joint Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department, and Executive Officer of the temple, told The Hindu on Friday.

As soon as another five stones arrive, the work on replacing the roof would commence. Prior to that, work on dressing of stones — chiselling them to required shape— would take place. The cost of the project, including the stones and the weathering course work, was Rs. 24 lakh. The stones were procured from a quarry at Koyra near Bangalore. A speciality of the stones was that they were not blasted out using explosives, but chiselled out either manually or mechanically.