THOOTHUKUDI: Due to severe soil erosion and violent waves along the beach adjoining the famous Tiruchendur Murugan temple, devotees taking holy a dip often fall and sustain injuries while hitting the underlying rocks. The public has appealed to the temple authorities to step up safety measures in the area.
The temple’s beach area stretches for more than a kilometre. It is a ritual for the Murugan temple devotees to take a holy dip before offering darshan. In recent months, the sea has been violent and the waves have led to erosion of more than 500 metres between the temple entrance and Nalikinaru. The violent waves have carved away over 8 feet of the beach’s depth, and the coral reefs have been exposed.
Ganesh Kumar, a frequent temple visitor, told TNIE that the sea gets violent after dusk, and the erosion largely happens in the night hours. Even though the temple authorities have placed boards along the shore warning people not to take a dip in the areas prone to high waves, the devotees still take baths here unaware of the lurking danger, he added.
The temple authorities have deployed over five beach safety guards to monitor public movement along the shore. Meanwhile, the police have prohibited bathing on the beach between 9 pm and 3 am, said sources. A temple beach safety guard told TNIE that they daily rescued at least 10 devotees who sustain injuries while taking baths. He also said that more beach safety guards are needed to control the huge influx of devotees.
Another guard said some devotees have even drowned after moving deep in the waters without paying heed to the advisory. “When we rescue a devotee who is suffocating in the sea, we ought to press their chest until they reach the medical care centre near Valli caves which is at least 500 metres from the beach,” he said.
