Chennai: Sevvoor S Ramachandran, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister, today explained to the Assembly that the crack in the Rajagopuram of Sri Arunachaleswarar temple in Thiruvannamalai, was an old one, and that it will be set right soon. The cracks were discovered during the renovation works of the temple.

The issue was raised by the DMK legislator and former Minister EV Velu, who pointed out that lakhs of devotees from all over India visit the temple and were worried about the crack in one of its towers.

Quoting the expert opinion of Arun Menon, an Assistant Professor from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), who inspected the tower soon after the crack was spotted, the Minister reported that the crack found in one of the stone beams of the Rajagopuram can be fixed with stainless steel. He also said that the crack was caused due to aging of the structure or during the previous renovation works.

He also informed the Assembly that the temple was being renovated for consecration and that companies from Mumbai and New Delhi have been approached to mend the crack.

After inspecting the temple, Arun Menon had said that a steel support frame can be given to the structure to make it safe.