A village with a temple and real estate boom on East Coast Road

It is impossible to miss the welcome arch of the Sri Nithyakalyanaperumal Temple at Thiruvidanthai, just beyond Tambaram police limits on the East Coast Road (ECR). The presiding deity of this temple, one of the 108 Divyadesam, is said to bless the devotees with quick marriage, along with his Consort Sri Akhilavalli Thayar.

There are wedding halls in this small village, known primarily for its temple. Two newly built halls joined the race to provide space for those wishing to hold ceremonies near the temple.

Inadequate toilets

Residents are demanding basic amenities such as toilets, bathrooms and recreation areas for the temple. G. Raja, a resident of the area, said, “Hundreds of devotees visit this place every day. On Muhurtham days and on weekdays when Thirukalyanam is held, the crowd increases. The temple is under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India. The existing toilets are inadequate and not clean enough. Devotees go to houses to use the toilet. We cannot allow people in every day. This has become a big inconvenience.”

Sundar, a native of the village, said that thanks to the temple, many real estate developments have taken place in the area. “The presiding deity is Sri Varaha Perumal, so people believe that if they buy land here, they will get rich. Although our economy is primarily an agriculture-based economy, people in Chennai and surrounding areas sell their land and leave for other jobs. There is not much income from agriculture these days. There is a real estate boom here. In fact, one area is known as the civil servants’ district as high-ranking officials buy land and build houses there,” he added.

affordable prices

Giri Parthasarathy, who moved to Thiruvidanthai to get away from the noise and chaos of the city, said proximity to the Information Technology Corridor was an attraction. “I used to live in Ashok Nagar and the commute to and from my office was very busy. My office is now in Sholinganallur. It takes just 30 minutes. We have shops in Kovalam and Kelambakkam and malls on ECR and Old Mahabalipuram Road. The air here is very clean and the beach is a few minutes’ walk away. You can see a lot of birds here. I preferred ECR to OMR as that road is congested and it is developing very slowly. When I bought this house, property prices are very busy.” “It was at the level I could reach,” he said.