Devotees visiting the historic Srikanteshwara temple in Nanjangud can now have darshan of Lord Srikanteshwara and goddess Parvathi in air-conditioned comfort. It will also be a relief to priests, who stay for long in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, one of the richest in the state, performing pooja.
The Muzrai Department installed the air-conditioners with the Rs 5 lakh donation from a devotee Raja who is a Bangalore-based industrialist. Srikanteshwara temple in Mysore district contributes a revenue of Rs 13 crore a year to the state’s exchequer.
Around 3,000 devotees visit the temple on normal days and about 20,000 on Sundays, Mondays and full moon days. Although the temple is built of stone and is not affected by the external temperature, it is uncomfortable for both devotees and priests during summer due to humidity.
Assistant Executive Officer L Nagaraju said that of the five air-conditioners fixed in the temple, one is similar to the one installed at Tirumala in Tirupati. “Before the air-conditioners came, we only had fans at both entrances of Lord Srikanteshwara and Goddess Parvathi sukhanasis,” he said.
Executive Officer of the temple Shivalingegowda said devotees and priests are happy that the air-conditioners regulate the temperature inside the sukhanasis.
“We are receiving appreciation for the new initiative taken in the interest of devotees who can now have a darshan in comfort,” said Yathiraju Sampathkumaran, tahsildar, Muzrai Department.