Chennai couple to rebuild 1,100-yr-old temple in Arakkonam

ARAKKONAM: Totally ruined by encroachments, the 1,100 year old Azhagu Raja Perumal Temple in ward 6 of Thakkolam town panchayat in Ranipet district’s Arakkonam taluk is to be rebuilt at a cost of Rs 7 crore, thanks to a couple, officials said.

The Chennai-based businessman-lawyer couple, requesting anonymity, said they decided to take up the restoration of the temple during their visit to their farm nearby. They were informed about this temple by local residents, who took them to the shrine for a visit.

“That was five years ago. When my wife saw the dilapidated condition of the temple she wanted to know the reason and when we finally understood we decided to take up the work ourselves,” the businessman said.

Asked about whether they would collect funds for the project, he clearly stated that no donations would be collected and only their own funds would be used in the temple works. Asked about the timeline for the completion of the project, he said, “the sthapathy said the work would be completed in 20 months, but HR&CE officials demanded that the work be finished 2 months earlier, i.e in 18 months,” he added.

Then Ranipet Collector D Baskara Pandian, who was instrumental in removing the 53 encroachments from the temple’s 2.35 acres said, “the encroachments came up a century ago and all were removed some months ago following a Madras High Court order.”

The Rajagopuram is all that is left today of the once venerable shrine. Bhoomi pooja for the construction work was conducted recently in the presence of Ministers PK Sekarbabu and R Gandhi and the Collector.

The maha mandapam, sanctum sanctorum, Garudazhvar sannadhi, parivara sannadhi, madapalli, compound wall, flooring, temple tank and the flag mast will be constructed anew, while the existing dilapidated Rajagopuram will be totally renovated.