TN-LD GOVERNOR

Tamil Nadu Governor

Banwarilal Purohit Saturday dedicated to the nation 30

'theerthams' includingthe "Mangala Theertham" after they were

unearthed and renovated for the benefit of pilgrims visiting

Ramanathasamy temple here.

The temple originally had 64 'theerthams' (holy water

bodies), of which only 22 were in use while the rest gotlost

either due to the 1964 cyclone or encroachment.

As a result of the initiatives taken by former

President A P J Abdul Kalam and Vivekananda Kendra and the

temple administration, 30 water sites which had got buried in

the sand dunes were unearthed andrenovated at a cost of Rs

five crore.

The governor dedicated the holy water sites after

special poojas were performed at"Mangala Theertham" at

Thangachimadam on this island.

The Governor said the dedication function would bring

to light how the holy water sites had beenretrieved.

He said no pilgrimage would be complete without a

visit to the Rameswaram temple.

People from across the country visit the famous

Ramanathasamy temple in the island town.

Purohit recalled the "Green Rameswaram" initiatives

taken by Kalam.

He said polythene bags played a major role in

destroying theenvironment of the country, adding steps were

being taken to eradicate plastic in a phased manner.

Earlier, he participated in "Clean India" awareness

programmes at Mandapam and Pattinamkathan near here.

He interacted with school students and also asked them

to take a pledge to keep the environment clean.

The Governor also distributed cloth bags to

shopkeepers to create awareness against the use of plastic.

PTI COR SSN

SS SS