CHENNAI: A 28-year-old man caused several anxious moments in Kancheepuram town and police after he perched himself on top of a 200-foot tall temple tower for good two hours late on Friday night.
The incident took place in Ekambaranathar temple, which is one of the oldest temples in Kancheepuram. According to police, the man was in an inebriated state.
Unfolding the incident, the police said that on Friday evening, the priest closed the temple after kumbhabhishekham and everyone went home. Around 10 pm, the man managed to make his way into the temple and climbed the temple tower which is about 200 feet tall. After making himself comfortable on top, he began shouting, drawing the attention of people around.
Noticing human presence atop the tower, local residents alerted the temple administration. Since it was dark no one could identify the person. Soon police and rescue teams arrived at the spot. After their requests to him to come down failed, the rescue team met him on top and brought him down, bringing the almost two-hour drama to an end.
Police have identified the man only by his first name Venkatesan, a daily wager and resident of Ottivakkam. They said Venkatesan had consumed more liquor than he could handle and climbed the tower in an intoxicated state.
The police detained him at the Kancheepuram town police station all night and sent him home in the morning, albeit with a warning.