Garden inside Srirangam temple getting a makeover

The ‘Ul thoppu' (garden), inside the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple, is getting a facelift. The garden that was taken possession by the temple administration recently after being leased out for several years, has been lying in neglect for quite some time now.

The garden is being spruced close on the heels of the visit of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to offer prayers at the temple.

Located on the fifth prakaram of the temple between Chakkarathazhvar and Thayar Sannidhis, the garden is spread over about three acres of land with a large number of trees.

Work on cleaning up the garden has been underway over the past few days with a convergence of various government agencies.

While corporation employees were deployed to clean up the accumulated garbage inside the garden, the agricultural engineering department and the public works department were involved in levelling and sprucing up the garden.

Workers are now engaged in planting saplings in the garden spread in an area of about 1.25 acres under the supervision of horticulture department officials.

About 750 saplings, 250 each of Ixora, jasmine and rose varieties, were being planted.

The temple administration would continue to maintain the garden, sources in the temple administration said.