Chennai: To help the devotees visiting the Kapaleeswarar Temple, particularly elders and physically-challenged, two battery-operated vehicles was introduced few days ago that provides easy access to the temple and the surrounding areas.
The two battery-operated golf carts cost over Rs 12 lakh and were donated to the temple by Sundaram Finance and was immediately put into service much ahead of the Annual Panguni Festival that is to be conducted during the last week of this month, which will attract numerous devotees.
At an event conducted recently, the vehicles were presented to the HR & CE Minister Sevoor S Ramachandran by Sundaram Finance managing director T T Srinivasaraghavan and Mylapore MLA R Nataraj was also present.
Speaking during the event, Srinivasaraghavan, said, ‘We have a long association with Mylapore and it gives us immense pleasure to strengthen our engagement with Mylapore by presenting these battery-operated vehicles that will be of some service not only to the temple but also to the devotees and public alike.
These vehicles will enable devotees, particularly the elderly and physically challenged to access the centuries-old Kapaaleeswarar temple and its surrounding areas and will be of good use for the benefit of the public at large.
The devotees have already expressed their happiness as these vehicles provide them easy access to the temple.’ It is said that the two vehicles which can accommodate six people at a time will ferry around the Mada Streets and the eastern Raja Gopuram of the temple.
Devotees visiting the temple from the Mada Streets can hop onto the vehicle as it will drop them at the eastern entrance. It will also drop devotees back at the Mada streets after darshan. The two battery cars will run every day from 6.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 4 pm to 9 pm.
The battery will be charged between 12.30 pm and 4 pm when the temple is closed for darshan.
‘This initiative will be very much helpful especially for the numerous elderly people visiting the temple everyday as nowadays with the traffic congestion, it has become very difficult to even walk around the Mada streets for them.
With this, they can comfortably reach the temple, have darshan and come back in the same vehicle safely. This is a very good initiative but on many occasions the Mada streets get congested with traffic and at that time won’t it be difficult for the vehicle to reach the temple?
If the traffic in the Mada Streets is also managed without any congestion then it will be of immense help,’ said Karthik, who visits the temple regularly.