Madurai:
The work on replacing the pillars which developed cracks on the southern side corridor of the famous "Potramarai Kulam" in the ancient Goddess Sri Meenakshi temple at Madurai began on Wednesday at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore.
Temple 'thakkar' (Fit Person) Karumuthu T Kannan said the roof of the south side corridor had been demolished at a cost of Rs.50 lakh and work on replacing 74 pillars had begun.
The granite for the pillars had been brought from Karnataka. The pillars would be the exact replica of the original pillars, made by Pandya kings.
The pillars that developed crack on the eastern side were also being replaced.
He said the work on permanently storing water in the tank, would be completed in 15 days.
The Central Government had released Rs.88 lakh from the 13th Finance Commission funds for the work, officials said.