Appeal to Protect Big Temple Devotees During Summer

Thanjavur: Prince and hereditary trustee of the Palace Devasthanam, Babaji Rajah Bhonsle, has appealed to Union minister of culture Gajendra Singh Shekawat to make temporary arrangements for the forthcoming summer to protect devotees, who visit Big Temple here, from extreme heat and overcrowding.

In a letter to the minister, a copy of which was released to DC, the trustee said summer is fast approaching and the mercury levels are expected to rise sharply in the coming months.

At the same time, inflow of devotees to Big Temple is steadily increasing, with holidays and festival periods drawing near. During peak hours, crowd density has already reached levels that raise serious concerns about issues relating to the comfort and safety of devotees, the trustee said.

While a comprehensive and permanent crowd management plan for all weather conditions may be evolved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in due course, the immediate and pressing requirement is to put in place temporary arrangements for the coming summer months to protect devotees from extreme heat and overcrowding, he said.

Bhonsle suggested erecting temporary shelters with regulated queue lines at suitable locations identified by ASI, which maintains the temple, a world heritage monument.

“These shelters may be designed in four or five segmented bays, to be filled sequentially, enabling devotees to wait under shade and proceed in an orderly and humane manner. Basic but essential facilities such as CCTV surveillance, drinking water points, fans and temporary toilets may also be provided,” Bhonsle said in his letter.

He also suggested opening entry points on the east and south side, along with exclusive exit routes on the north side to ease congestion and improve crowd management.

“ASI may provide the necessary design guidelines, while the police department may arrange for additional metal detectors and appropriate security deployment,” he said.

He also suggested regulating crowd movement and preventing uncontrolled entry and exit from multiple directions, restricted and channelised entry points with suitable barricading at the five flights of steps leading to the mahamandapam and arthamandapam.

“It is deeply distressing to witness devotees of all ages - elderly persons, children, women and able-bodied adults alike - running in desperation across the open parikrama area in search of shelter from the intense sun. During peak and crowded days, devotees are often held within metal barricaded queue lines in fully open areas, where movement becomes restricted and crossing or even stepping out is not possible. In such conditions, standing exposed to direct sunlight for extended durations, often exceeding 30 minutes, becomes unsafe,” Bhonsle pointed out.

He appealed to the minister to instruct the top officials of ASI to implement the temporary measures at the earliest in coordination with the HR&CE department of the state government, district administration and police department.