The leakage in the gold-plated roof of the sanctum sanctorum of Kerala's Sabarimala Ayyappa temple was discovered to be caused by worn-out copper nails used to hold the gold platings.
On Wednesday, a team of experts assessed the temple's roof under the supervision of top authorities and priests from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which maintains the temple.
TDB authorities said that all the nails need to be replaced. The work will begin on August 22 and will be completed before September 6. Polishing of the gold platings would also be done along with it. The nod of the High Court needs to be obtained for all such work at the temple, said TDB authorities.
Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya had sponsored the gold plating as an offering in 1997 at a cost of around Rs 18 crore. The leakage was detected when the temple opened for monthly poojas this month.
Water seeped through the left corner of the roof on the outer wall. The Devaswom Board would be meeting the expenses of the repair work.
Meanwhile, the temple opened for 'Niraputhari' pooja by Wednesday evening. The temple will shut by Thursday night.
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