Chennai: Tamil Nadu government today allocated a sum of Rs five lakh towards taking up excavation in the famous Sri Aranganthar Temple at Srirangam in Tiruchirappally.

School Education Minister K C Veeraamani, who also holds the Art and Culture, Musueums, Archaelogy portfolio, said that a similar effort in 2013-14 resulted in excavation of some significant statues of elephants and humans and added that a report in this regard was being finalised. The allocated Rs five lakh will be used to "completely excavate" a statue of a chariot sighted with wheels in the temple premises, he said.