American donates Rs 2 crore to TN temple

Rameswaram: An American woman, who has become an ardent devotee of Lord Ramanathaswamy, has donated over Rs 2 crore to the famous Sri Ramanathaswamy Parvadhavardhini temple here, a senior temple official said.
The chairman of the board of trustees Bhanumathi Natchiar said that Elizabeth used to visit the temple every year and perform pujas to the presiding deities. She also used to spend Rs 4-5 lakh every year on pujas and providing free food to poor devotees.
He said Elizabeth had recently sent a cheque for Rs 2.07 crore which had been encashed, for performing daily pujas and preparing Aravanai(milk rice — a dish offered to devotees) among others.
The chairman also said the Archaeological Survey of India had been asked to provide an estimate for renovating the temple at a cost of Rs 20 crore. The temple also planned to build quarters for temple workers at a cost of Rs one crore besides providing a cloak room for pilgrims.