Big Temple Park in Thanjavur Turned into Unauthorised Vehicle Parking Lot Amid Tourist Surge
मुख्य बातें
- •Raja Raja Cholan Park near the UNESCO-listed Big Temple in Thanjavur has been converted into a four-wheeler parking lot without official approval from the Archaeological Survey of India or the civic body.
- •The temporary arrangement was introduced to address traffic congestion caused by overflowing designated parking areas during the peak summer tourist season.
- •Visitors had been parking vehicles on multiple surrounding roads and under the Membalam rail overbridge due to lack of space, prompting authorities to repurpose the park.
- •Heritage activists and locals have raised concerns over the unauthorised use of a public park adjacent to a World Heritage Site and the absence of a sustainable parking management plan.
A historic public park adjacent to the Sri Brahadeeswarar Temple—popularly known as the Big Temple and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Thanjavur—has been repurposed as a makeshift parking lot for cars and SUVs, contrary to official conservation norms. The Raja Raja Cholan Park, located near the monumental complex, has been opened for vehicle parking since the last weekend, a move initiated in response to increased tourist footfall during the ongoing summer vacation.
The surge in visitors to the Big Temple has overwhelmed the existing small parking facilities in front of the monument and at Thilakar Thidal, a spacious area nearby. Despite these designated spaces being filled to capacity throughout the day, even on weekdays, visitors have resorted to parking along several key roads in the vicinity. These include Old Court Road, Srinivasapuram Road, South Rampart area, Government Rajah Mirasdar Hospital Road, and areas near the Office of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Thanjavur Range. Additionally, vehicles have been parked beneath the Membalam, a rail overbridge connecting the old town with Medical College Road.
