TIRUMALA: The golden chariot of Lord Venkateswara is all set to get a dazzling makeover with gold micro plating works. The chariot has been dismantled and micro plating work is scheduled to commence next week.Twenty kilograms of gold will be used for the purpose.Eighteen goldsmiths are working on making the plates and till date 16 Kgs of gold plates are ready.The golden chariot was constructed by Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation in 1994 as per a contract given by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).Since then, the chariot has been extensively used for the processions of Lord Malayappa Swamy and Consorts along the four Mada streets in Tirumala during Brahmotsavams and Rathasapthami celebrations.Off late, the chariot lost its sheen as it had begun rusting and had acquired a dull green colour due to fungus infestation.In 2006, the then executive officer of TTD, Ajay Kallam who took note of it personally ensured that it is cleaned with natural cleansers.As many as 25 people from engineering and garden departments of TTD worked on it for three days.However, the chariot lost its lustre by 2009. During the Brahmotsavams the patches of rust and fungus were covered with leaves and flowers before taking it out on the procession.With the media reports on the chariot losing sheen, officials hurriedly covered those spots with artificial gold paint in 2010. When the public came to know about it, there was much hue and cry. The next year, the TTD decided to gold plate the chariot aain and the Rs 3.5 crore was sanctioned for the purpose.The present microplating works are likely to be completed by the end of August, a TTD official said. It is expected to be used for the Brahmotsavams scheduled to be held from September 29.
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