<p>They were there to donate gold for the making of an idol of deity Manikanta, better known as Ayyappa.<br /><br />Hundreds of devotees fell over themselves to contribute their mite in the form of jewellery for a 105-kg panchaloha idol.<br /><br />Panchaloha, an alloy of five metals - gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc - is considered auspicious for making idols.<br /><br />Queueing up at the temple near Taranatha Ayurveda College, the devotees donated gold rings, bangles, bracelets, chains, earrings and earstuds. Some even bought gold from a shop on the premises to contribute.<br /><br />Many of the humble contributors requested the temple managers not to publicise their names, a polar opposite of the normal practice of the rich and influential who let the world know their deeds, exemplified by the much-publicised donation of a jewel-encrusted gold crown to the reigning deity at Tirumala by a mining baron.<br /><br />The temple managers sought 2.5 kg of gold, but what they received was close to 5 kg.<br />Sculptors have been invited from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu to cast the Ayyappa idol. In an unusually transparent practice, the temple managers have built a crucible in front of the temple where in public view the donated gold and other metals are melted to make the five-alloy idol.<br /><br />Chairman of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Trust, Jayaprakash Gupta, told Deccan Herald that the idol would be consecrated at the temple -- a replica of the famed structure in Sabarimala -- on April 11.</p>
<p>They were there to donate gold for the making of an idol of deity Manikanta, better known as Ayyappa.<br /><br />Hundreds of devotees fell over themselves to contribute their mite in the form of jewellery for a 105-kg panchaloha idol.<br /><br />Panchaloha, an alloy of five metals - gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc - is considered auspicious for making idols.<br /><br />Queueing up at the temple near Taranatha Ayurveda College, the devotees donated gold rings, bangles, bracelets, chains, earrings and earstuds. Some even bought gold from a shop on the premises to contribute.<br /><br />Many of the humble contributors requested the temple managers not to publicise their names, a polar opposite of the normal practice of the rich and influential who let the world know their deeds, exemplified by the much-publicised donation of a jewel-encrusted gold crown to the reigning deity at Tirumala by a mining baron.<br /><br />The temple managers sought 2.5 kg of gold, but what they received was close to 5 kg.<br />Sculptors have been invited from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu to cast the Ayyappa idol. In an unusually transparent practice, the temple managers have built a crucible in front of the temple where in public view the donated gold and other metals are melted to make the five-alloy idol.<br /><br />Chairman of the Sabarimala Ayyappa Trust, Jayaprakash Gupta, told Deccan Herald that the idol would be consecrated at the temple -- a replica of the famed structure in Sabarimala -- on April 11.</p>
