TIRUCHY: The Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple in Thiruvellarai, considered one of the oldest Vishnu temples in Tiruchy alongside the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam and others, now has an added feature, a revived nandhavanam (special flower garden) that could soon attract devotees and tourists, said sources from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.
The floral requirements of the temple are currently met by the nandhavanam. Sources from the department said the nandhavanam spread over 11 acres features 108 "auspicious" plants and trees from the 108 Divyadesam temples (Vishnu temples) collected from various districts. It also has a rose and oleander garden alongside several varieties of trees.
"Our old temple records point to an age-old nandhavanam where flowers were nurtured and all floral requirements of this and nearby temples were acquired from the nandhavanam. However, due to unknown reasons the nandhavanam stopped functioning a few hundred years ago," said a temple priest. After a series of attempts by devotees and concerned officials, Minister for Municipal Administration KN Nehru on November 24, 2022, launched the works to revive the nandhavanam.
The temple's location in Manachanallur, a prime location, makes it ideal to present itself as a place for spiritual tourism, said official sources. The trees are still in a growing stage, but in a year's time would transform into an attractive garden with dense trees and flowers. The department is also planning to set up a mini park for children and pathways for people to go on walks.
HR&CE Srirangam Joint Commissioner S Marimuthu said, "Once we came to know about the historic garden in the past, we began by planting auspicious trees. We were helped in this by a donor, VS Jayapal, from Coimbatore, who came forward with generous contributions. Collector M Pradeep Kumar has also been instrumental in pushing works for the garden. Thiruvellarai panchayat, where the temple is located, also supported the initiative by taking up labour works for the garden."