Jayalalithaa's memorial opens for public viewing

The memorial was inaugurated on January 27 but was closed immediately as the AIADMK feared V K Sasikala would go there right after completing her prison term

The sprawling memorial built for former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, which was shut immediately after its inauguration for “maintenance work”, has now begun welcoming visitors.

On Friday, hundreds of people visited the memorial built at cost of over Rs 50 crore at the resting place of Jayalalithaa, who died on December 5, 2016.

The memorial, which includes a museum and a knowledge park, was inaugurated on January 27 but was closed immediately as the AIADMK Government feared V K Sasikala would drive there straight from Bengaluru after completing her prison term. The reason then cited was “maintenance work” and “completion of pending work” at the memorial.

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Officials said the memorial was thrown open without any fanfare due to elections. “Since the formal inauguration was over in January, we just opened the memorial for public viewing without any announcement,” an official said. Hundreds of people were seen clicking selfies at the memorial which has a museum.

Sasikala visits her new bungalow in Poes Garden

Meanwhile, Sasikala made a trip to Poes Garden, where the residence of her late friend Jayalalithaa is located, to oversee work at a bungalow being constructed for her use. The new bungalow is just opposite to Veda Nilayam, Jayalalithaa's address for about five decades.

Video footage showed Sasikala visiting the under-construction building and leaving the premises in an SUV.