THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Sree Padmanabhaswami temple opened a new toilet complex for devotees on Saturday. The facility is expected to be a big relief for hundreds of pilgrims visiting the holy shrine everyday.
On Saturday, ‘Express’ had reported that the devotees were badly hit by the lack of toilet facilities while the new complex remained closed. Only four old toilets with damaged roofing were available at the temple till Friday.
The new pay-and-use facility, situated in the Anandapadmanabha Nilayam on the north gate, has separate sections for male and female devotees. Each section has seven toilets and seven bathrooms. Besides, there are urinals and washbasins.
The toilet complex is part of the `75.88-crore development works under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of the Union Tourism Ministry.
Idol reinstallation
The reinstallation of the idol of Lord Narasimha at the renovated sanctum sanctorum will be held on July 3 between noon and 1.10 pm. The new flag mast at the shrine of Lord Thiruvambadi Sree Krishna will be dedicated on July 4 between 11.20 am and 1.05 pm.
The garuda idol, to be installed atop the new flag mast, was brought to the temple on Saturday. The copper idol will be gold-plated before installation. The idol, crafted by Sunoj and team of Mannar, was sponsored by a Bengaluru-based trader Sivaprasad.