New flag mast installed in Rameswaram temple – The Hindu

Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department has replaced the more-than-four-decade-old ‘kodi maram’ (flag mast) installed in front of Ambal Parvathavardhini Sannadhi at Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple here with a new 40-foot-high flag mast.

After Ramco Group offered to donate the new kodi maram, a high-quality teak tree trunk purchased from Kerala at a cost of Rs. 5 lakh with the consent of HR and CE Department, the temple authorities installed the new flag mast on Thursday and performed ‘Kumbabishekam’, S. Selvaraj, Joint Commissioner of the Temple, said.

Before installing the new mast, temple priests performed ‘mudhal kala puja’ on Wednesday and ‘Irandam kala puja’ on Thursday before performing ‘Kumbabishekam’, he said.

He said the new flag mast had been installed ahead of the Aadi festival, which would begin with customary flag hoisting on July 27. The old mast, also of teak wood, with gold-coated copper cover was installed in 1972, he said.

K. Mayilvahanan, Assistant Divisional Engineer of the temple, said after making ready the new mast, the temple authorities removed the old flag mast on July 11 after performing ‘Palalayam’.

The gold-coated copper cover removed from the old flag mast was refurbished and fitted on the new mast, he said.

Temple thakkar N. Kumaran Sethupathy and Saratha Deepa, daughter of Ramco Group chairman P.R. Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, were among the others present on the occasion, he added.