Madurai: As a special gesture, the Sri Meenakshi SundaÂreswarar temple here was kept open on Tuesday afternoon to enable the about 100 tourists from the United Kingdom, who came by a cruise ship to Thoothukudi, to visit the temple.
The temple administration and police permitted the foreign tourists to have access to the temple which otherwise is kept closed for devotees and the general public during the afternoon hours.
With Travel Club taking efforts to promote Madurai as a tourism hub, it had sought special permission from the temple administration to take the foreigners around the temple and help them relish its architectural beauty.
Travel Club president B.S.G. Musthafa said the tourists had come by cruise liner ‘The Voyages of Discovery’, which called at Thoothukudi port on Tuesday morning. While 364 passengers were onboard the ship, 90 travellers had expressed an interest to visit the Meenakshi temple while the rest preferred to stay in Thoothukudi and visit the local church.
Travel Club offered them a sumptuous lunch at a star hotel in the city after which its office-bearers took them to the temple around 1.30 pm. Temple joint commissioner Jeyaraman received them on their arrival.
“As the intention was to promote tourism, we permitted the foreign tourists to see the 1,000-pillar mandapam and the golden lotus pond,” Jeyaraman said.
