India, Oct. 18 -- The gold-clad copper plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols were reinstalled at the Saba-rimala temple on Friday as the shrine opened for the Malayalam month of 'Thulam'.

Around 14 gold-plated copper sheets, brought back from Smart Creations in Chennai after electroplating as directed by the Kerala High Court, were reinstalled by sculptors in the presence of temple priests and Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials, including its president, PS Prasanth.

TDB officials said the reinstallation ceremony lasted about an hour, following the temple's opening at 5 pm. The plates were placed over the stone Dwarapalaka idols and secured with screws.

The temple will remain open for Thulam month rituals over the next...