Mysore/Mysuru: The century-old carriage-cum-lift of Sri Chamundeshwari Temple atop the Chamundi Hill, which was used to place the idol in the elevated seat in the temple chariot during Dasara Rathotsava has been renovated by the Central Workshop of South Western Railways,  Mysuru Division.

The manually-operated carriage lifts the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari along with the heavy base to be mounted on the 35-feet chariot. Due to use since years, the carriage-cum-lift was in a dilapidated condition. The carriage has been renovated at Mechanical Millwright Shop.

A press release from the Railways said that though the carriage was in bad shape, the original drawings of the lift were not available for the engineers and technicians to have an idea before taking up any repair works. 

The Chamundeshwari Temple administration including its Chief Priest Dr. Shashishekhar Dixit and Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha approached the SWR General Manager in October last year and sought help to renovate the carriage.

After receiving instructions from the headquarters, the Central workshop of SWR  in Mysuru took up the work and renovated the lift. Cradle-lifting mechanism was provided with locking and anti-fall arrangement. A new ladder with anti-skid plates and hand rail were also provided.

Rigidity of the structure was ensured with additional propping arrangement and the whole unit has been painted without losing its antique look. The whole work on this heritage structure was completed in 45 days and the temple team inspected same for its smooth operational requirements and expressed their satisfaction. 

The manually-operated crane weighs between 5-6 tonnes and is 5.5 metres high and has a capacity to lift 300 kg, the statement added.