World’s Richest Temple Now Swankier: PM Modi Inaugurates Facilities For Devotees At Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple

Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Tuesday (15 January) inaugurated the first of the six projects under the Union Tourism Ministry’s Swadesh Darshan scheme at the sixteenth century Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, reports The Hindu. The Swadesh Darshan initiative envisions the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits.

This is the PM’s first visit to the temple since taking office; he unveiled a plaque close to the eastern gate of the temple complex, as he inaugurated the new facilities for convenience of the devotees.

Other notable political dignitaries present on the occasion were Governor P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons, and Member of Parliament Shahi Tharoor.

The entire cost of overhauling the temple infrastructure came to about Rs 78.55 crore, which included money spent on creating a tourist information centre, stormwater drains, drinking water fountains, solar powered lights, cloakrooms, waiting halls, bio-toilets, sing boards, CCTV cameras, security systems and software for a digital museum.

The project comes under a planned Rs 92.44 crore spiritual circuit within which the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, Sree Parthasarathy temple, Aranmula and the Sabarimala Ayyapa temple are covered.