The wooden chariot that was gutted on the premises of the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi in East Godavari district has insurance coverage of ₹84 lakh. However, the appraiser from the insurance company is yet to estimate the damage done to the chariot, temple Executive Officer N.S. Chakradhara Rao said.
Early this year, the Endowments Department subscribed to an insurance policy for the chariot for the first time, with the provision for claim of compensation in the event of any damage due to fire and earthquake.
“We bought the policy from the United Indian Insurance group for the chariot with the coverage of ₹84 lakh in the event of damage due to the fire and earthquake. The policy is valid till January 2021,” Mr. Chakradhara Rao told The Hindu.
He further said that the chariot was insured for the first time. Until now, the temple jewellery had insurance coverage in the event of theft. The appraiser from the insurance company is yet to estimate the damage done to the chariot to fix the coverage.
On Monday, Endowments Minister Vellampalli Srinivas discussed the proposal to build a new chariot with the engineers and other senior officials of the department and hand it over to the temple by February next year, so that it could be used during the Kalyanotsavam. “The Endowments Department is planning to build a new chariot before the Kalyanotsavam scheduled to be organised from February 19 and 28 next year,” the Minister told The Hindu over phone.
Pithapuram temple chariot insured
Meanwhile, the Endowment Department has insured the 70-year-old chariot of the Kukkuteswara Swamy temple at Pithapuram against any fire mishap. Seven decades ago, the 22-foot-high chariot was donated by the Pithapuram royal family to the temple. The chariot is put to use during the Maha Shivaratri festival every year, temple superintendent V. Srinivas said.
