Sittanavasal poised to get a host of amenities to attract more visitors

Amenities proposed include a parking lot fountain plaza, lake plaza, provision of play area, street lights, sculpture, and art work, a boat dock building and softscape

Sittanavasal, a prominent tourist spot known for its serene location in Pudukottai district, is set to get a slew of amenities aimed at attracting more visitors.  Funds for provision of amenities at the spot, which houses rock cut Jain cave temple complex atop the hillock and the cave paintings inside, have been allocated by the State government based on a proposal sent by the Tourism Department. 

The work is expected to commence this year with ₹3.9 crore allocated for development of Sittanavasal. Official sources said the Tourism Department had come up with a plan to execute the work. The range of work proposed includes provision of a parking area near the boat pond where pleasure boating is already in place, fountain plaza, lake plaza, provision of play area, street lights, sculpture, and art work, a boat dock building and softscape. 

The State government is to provide ₹1.90 crore this fiscal and the remaining ₹2 crore during the 2025-26. The sources said the Tourism Department will execute the work now that funds had been sanctioned by the State government.

A boat pond, children’s park, and a garden park are in place at the foot of the hillock at Sittanavasal.  The cave temples atop the hillock are under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India.  The hillock houses the Arivar Kovil and ‘Ezhadipattam’ - a cavern with 17 polished rock beds.

Three new pedal boats were procured recently for pleasure boating in the sprawling pond which is filled with water. Sittanavasal attracts about 150 to 200 visitors a day and this figure increases on weekend, festival holidays, and during summer season when holidays are declared for educational institutions, an official said.

Published - October 10, 2024 06:58 pm IST