THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The devaswom department is gearing up to introduce a programme named ‘Devanganam Charu Haritham’ to improve the greenery around temples, ponds, and ‘Kavu’ areas.The project will be inaugurated on World Environment Day, with Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan planting a tree sapling at the Board headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.
The project, encompassing ‘Nakshatra Vanam’, ‘Kavu Samrakshanam’, and ‘Oushadavanam’, will be implemented in collaboration with the temple advisory committee and devotees. Various programs will be conducted across the 3,080 small and large temples under the Travancore, Kochi, Malabar, Guruvayur, and Koodal Manikyam Devaswom boards.
The Koodal Manikyam temple will specifically focus on planting Ashoka trees. Minister K Radhakrishnan stated that this initiative aims to make the temples green and ensure their cleanliness, while also contributing to nature conservation and environmental protection.
Pooja flower plants such as ‘Nandyarvattam’, ‘Pavizhamalli’, ‘Chethi’, ‘Thechi’, ‘Arali’, ‘Chembarathi’, ‘Thulasi’, and ‘Chembakam’, along with trees like ‘Araryal’, ‘Ilanji’, ‘Aryaveppu’, ‘Devadaru’, Mango trees,” and ‘Chenthengu’, will be planted. The objective is to transform the temples into ideal centres for nature conservation by taking care of the centuries-old, biodiverse ‘kavu’ areas. Additionally, this project will contribute to maintaining the cleanliness of the temple and its surroundings.