Visitors on rise, call to ease traffic near Big Temple grows

WITH the footfall at the 11th century Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur, popularly known as Big Temple, increasing multifold in recent years, city residents and tourists, pointing to the difficulty visitors face in crossing the road near the entrance of the Chola edifice, seek urgent measures to decongest the traffic on the stretch.

- N RAMESH @ Thanjavur

According to reliable sources, the daily footfall at the UNESCO World Heritage monument, which was in the hundreds before the celebration of the completion of 1,000 years of construction of the temple in 2010, swelled, particularly after the release of Ponnyin Selvan film series in 2022 and 2023.

The footfall currently hovers around 10,000 during the weekdays, hitting 20,000 during the weekends and holidays, sources said.