Srirangam East Gopuram Reopening Delayed

Devotees put to great hardship in Srirangam

Will the new HRCE Minister initiate steps to hasten the reopening process

When the residents of Srirangam came on to the streets opposite the Damodara Krishnan East Gopuram late last year, the JC of the Ranganathaswamy temple, Sivaram Kumar, assured them that the gopuram will be reopened by March this year. When this writer wrote a story for The Hindu in December last, the devotee donor Dr. Jayabal from Coimbatore who is also building the Raja Gopuram in Thiru Vellarai said that the gopuram will be opened in May this year. 

Last month, when this writer met the JC, he confirmed that the Gopuram will be reopened to traffic this month. The residents of Srirangam were eagerly looking forward to the reopening for they had been put to a great hardship over the last few years with the complete shutdown of this gopuram with residents not even allowed to walk through this passage (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2026/04/srirangam-jc-sivaram-kumar-2nd-panguni.html).

Many thought that this would indeed be opened in May this year but unfortunately the completion of the strengthening process is taking extra time and the reopening has been postponed by at least another two months. “The work is likely to take another 45-60 days” Jayabal told this writer on Thursday.

With the Srirangam constituency winner becoming the HRCE minister, the residents are hoping that he will take this issue as a priority and push the JC and the devotee donor to complete the final leg of the strengthening process quickly.

Autos have had to take a detour while coming from the eastern side of Srirangam from locations such as Kaattu Azhagiya Singar temple and the Girls High School. For a few years now, devotees have missed the straight road from the East to reach the White Gopuram which they had over a long period of time. Unfortunately, the residents on the eastern side including many shops there have lost hope after multiple postponements and have been frustrated with the non opening of this important pathway to the Ranganathaswamy temple from the East.

Will the new HRCE minister Ramesh initiate immediate steps to hasten the completion process and put a strict deadline to this for there has been an inordinate delay in the completion and the reopening has been put off a few times including the proposed reopening, first in March this year, and then the targeted reopening this month.

This section will continue to track the developments.