The fire at the east tower of the Meenakshi temple in Madurai. (PTI)Madurai: A fire broke out on the premises of the renowned Meenakshi temple here on Friday night, "affecting" an ancient hall and reducing 40 shops to ashes. "The hall with 1,000 pillars, which houses the temple museum, has not suffered any damage," district collector Veera Raghava Rao, who supervised the fire-fighting operations, told reporters. The sculptures in the hall were saved,the temple authorities said. Mani, a flower vendor at the temple, said the mortar paste had peeled off at several places inside the Vasantharayar hall, while the paintings on the roof were destroyed.

Source: The Telegraph February 03, 2018 21:45 UTC