A youth was killed after being attacked by a wild elephant at IOB Colony near Marudhamalai.The forest department has announced that devotees will be allowed to visit the Marudhamalai temple only between 7 am and 5 pm.
Coimbatore: The forest department has imposed time restrictions on devotees visiting the Marudhamalai temple.
Every day, thousands of worshippers visit the Marudhamalai temple, one of Coimbatore's most famous temples. At the same time, the Marudhamalai and Thondamuthur areas have seen an increase in the recent days in the movement of wild elephants.
A couple of weeks ago, a wild elephant crossed the path of devotees at the Marudhamalai temple, causing shock among the devotees. A 28-year-old man died on the spot after being attacked by a wild elephant at IOB Colony near Marudhamalai yesterday.
After that, many people including members of the public and social activists, demanded that actions be taken to prevent wild elephants from leaving forest areas. In this situation, the forest department has now imposed restrictions on the entry of devotees to the Marudhamalai temple.
According to a press release from the forest department, The timings of the temple corridor and road should be changed from 7 am to 5 pm. If at all possible, devotees should be taken to the temple in the temple vehicle rather than being allowed to use the footpaths or two-wheelers.
It has been advised to completely close the monolithic lane and to keep the front entrance of the temple closed for longer than the allotted time.
Awareness boards should be put up to inform the public about this. Appoint personnel for surveillance; otherwise, the temple management will be held accountable in the event of a human-elephant confrontation.
This has been stated in the forest department's report.