Thrissur (Kerala), Oct 17 (PTI) The dilapidated palace or 'Kovilakam' inside Punnathurkotta, once the fort of a local ruler, located near the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple in this central Kerala district is going to be restored to its former glory as its renovation has been approved by the Guruvayoor Devaswom Commissioner.

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Presently the fort and palace grounds, which comprise an area of around 18 acres, are home to around 43 elephants of the temple and this area too would undergo a renovation starting next month, temple officials said in a statement.

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While the 'Kovilakam' would be renovated at a cost of around Rs 5.38 crore from November onwards, the elephant camp will undergo renovation of the roads and footpaths there at a cost of Rs 1.07 crore, the statement said.

The entire work would be carried out keeping intact the uniqueness of the palace and without doing away with the historical characteristics of the previous construction, the Devaswom Chairman is quoted as having said in the statement.

A modern ticket counter and ample parking facilities will be provided there, it further said.

The renovation project of the elephant camp would include cleaning of the ponds, putting in place a drainage module system, a water management system, as well as training and treatment centres for adult and baby elephants, it also said.

Besides all this, the Devaswom has also started the process of preparing a detailed project report for a comprehensive development of the fort, which is also a pilgrimage tourist centre, at a cost of Rs 50 crore, the statement added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)