Thu Apr 17 18:48:02 UTC 2025: ## Tamil Nadu to Erect Giant Murugan Statues, Offer Free Special Darshan at Major Temples
**Chennai, April 18, 2025** – The Tamil Nadu government has announced plans to construct three colossal statues of Lord Murugan, exceeding 100 feet in height, at various temples across the state. The largest, standing at 184 feet, will be erected at the Arulmigu Subramaniyaswamy temple in Marudhamalai, Coimbatore, at a cost of ₹110 crore. Two other statues, measuring 180 feet and 114 feet respectively, will be installed at temples in Erode and Ranipet districts, with costs of ₹30 crore and ₹6.83 crore respectively. These projects also include the development of accompanying infrastructure such as museums and parking facilities.
In other temple-related announcements, the state will waive fees for special darshan during major festivals and special occasions at numerous prominent temples, including Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, Subramania Swamy temple in Tiruchendur, and several others.
Furthermore, the government is initiating a program to recycle unused silver temple items into pure silver bars, mirroring its existing gold investment scheme. Plans are also underway to build integrated cow shelters at several temples and to erect monuments commemorating temple elephants. A new initiative will provide boiled milk to children of devotees visiting select major temples across the state.
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