Mangalore, Oct 23. (PTI): The Karnataka Government plans to construct choultries at different places of pilgrimage in the country to facilitate the stay of pilgrims from the State, Minister for Fisheries and Endowment Nagaraj Shetty has said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the choultries were planned at Sabarimala and Guruvayoor in Kerala, Rameshwaram and Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Tirupati and at Ganigapura, Sangli, Kolhapur, Nashik and Shiradi in Maharashtra.

He said he had recently met Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and requested him to provide land on lease to construct choultries at Ganigapura, Sangli, Kolhapur, Nashik and Shiradi.

Shetty said the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam trust had agreed to install a statue of saint Purandaradasa at Tirupati, which would be donated by the State.

PTI