Rush of devotees pushes up Kancheepuram room tariffs
Even budget hotels are quoting upwards of ₹8,000 a night
01/08/2019, SANJAY VIJAYAKUMAR,CHENNAI
Even budget hotels are quoting upwards of ₹8,000 a night
01/08/2019, SANJAY VIJAYAKUMAR,CHENNAI
About 34 lakh devotees have visited Sri Devarajaswamy temple so far.
As thousands throng the Sri Devarajaswamy temple in Kancheepuram to catch a glimpse of a fig wood idol of Varadaraja Perumal, even a stay at a budget hotel is an expensive proposition for visitors.
Online hotel booking sites show tariffs in ordinary hotels quoting upwards of ₹8,000 per night, with over 90% already booked.
According to the State government, about 34 lakh devotees have visited the temple for a darshan of the wooden idol of Varadaraja Perumal, popularly known as Athi Varadar, which is taken out of the temple tank once every 40 years and displayed for 48 days. It has been attracting devotees since July 1.
The numbers are expected to go up as the idol is moved to a standing position from Thursday.
An online hotel booking site claimed that Kancheepuram was the top choice for those looking for rooms between July 31 and August 4. “Prices might be higher than usual for the dates you've selected,” it warned.
Expensive stay
For a three-star hotel, the prices for a night’s stay ranged from ₹8,100 to ₹11,000 plus taxes on July 31. On Booking.com, The Naagaa Residency Deluxe quoted a rate of ₹11,718 plus taxes for a room and said only limited rooms were available. When contacted, an official at the hotel said bookings could be done only through online sites.
As thousands throng the Sri Devarajaswamy temple in Kancheepuram to catch a glimpse of a fig wood idol of Varadaraja Perumal, even a stay at a budget hotel is an expensive proposition for visitors.
Online hotel booking sites show tariffs in ordinary hotels quoting upwards of ₹8,000 per night, with over 90% already booked.
According to the State government, about 34 lakh devotees have visited the temple for a darshan of the wooden idol of Varadaraja Perumal, popularly known as Athi Varadar, which is taken out of the temple tank once every 40 years and displayed for 48 days. It has been attracting devotees since July 1.
The numbers are expected to go up as the idol is moved to a standing position from Thursday.
An online hotel booking site claimed that Kancheepuram was the top choice for those looking for rooms between July 31 and August 4. “Prices might be higher than usual for the dates you've selected,” it warned.
Expensive stay
For a three-star hotel, the prices for a night’s stay ranged from ₹8,100 to ₹11,000 plus taxes on July 31. On Booking.com, The Naagaa Residency Deluxe quoted a rate of ₹11,718 plus taxes for a room and said only limited rooms were available. When contacted, an official at the hotel said bookings could be done only through online sites.
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