A 47-year-old man from Bengaluru died of cardiac arrest while climbing staircases at the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple atop a hillock in Sholinghur town near Ranipet on Thursday.
Police said the deceased, identified as S. Muthukumar, a private contractor in J.J. Nagar in Bengaluru, came to the town along with his friend to worship at the temple. As the existing rope car facility at the temple is under suspension between May 2 and 4 for maintenance, Mr. Muthukumar decided climb the 1,305 steps of granite staircase on the steep hillock. He covered 1,200 stairs, before collapsing to the ground.
Other devotees and temple authorities rushed him to the Government Taluk Hospital at the foothills in Sholinghur town. Doctors at the hospital declared him dead. A case has been registered by the Kondapalayam police.
Police said that many devotees, especially those coming from faraway places and cities are not aware of the temporary suspension of the rope car facility at the temple. When they come to know about it, many devotees decide to climb the steep staircases to the hillock temple despite the searing heat. During such situations, elderly devotees are carried in sling cloth by a group of workers, who charge around ₹3,500 per trip.
