2 weeks ago
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The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed the remaining improvement enactment astatine Courtallam successful Tenkasi territory beryllium carried retired successful the beingness of the officials from the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology.
A Division Bench of Justices G. K. Ilanthiraiyan and K. Rajasekar directed the authorities to guarantee that the carvings engraved connected the stone surfaces were harmless and that improvement activities were carried retired without causing harm to immoderate sculptures, past idols, oregon rock-cut idols.
The tribunal directed Tenkasi Collector to behaviour an enquiry regarding the harm caused to the rock-cut idols astatine Courtallam Main Falls and the Executive Officer of Courtallam Town Panchayat to guarantee due attraction and improvement of nationalist facilities during the Courtallam play by completing the improvement works wrong the stipulated period, successful larger nationalist interest, and to support the economical interests of section communities and persons babelike connected seasonal tourism.
The tribunal directed each the authorities acrophobic to guarantee the extortion and preservation of idols and practice structures situated astatine Courtallam Main Falls. The authorities person a work to support the historical, taste and archaeological value of Courtallam portion and indispensable instrumentality indispensable precautionary measures to sphere and support the practice structures, the tribunal said.
The authorities mean to guarantee nationalist safety, due assemblage management, uninterrupted tourer entree and safeguard the seasonal livelihood of section persons babelike connected tourism. The developmental works were undertaken successful the larger nationalist interest, arsenic good arsenic to support the economical interests of section communities and persons babelike connected seasonal trade, the tribunal said.
The tribunal was proceeding a nationalist involvement litigation petition filed by Rama. Ravikumar of Madurai district. The petitioner said helium was a devotee of Kutralanathar Swamy temple. The main theertham of the temple was the Kutralam falls. There were respective past rock-cut sculptures and chromatic idols which were worshipped by the devotees.
He said during his sojourn to the spot connected May 1 and 2, helium recovered rock-cut sculptures were damaged arsenic the works were carried retired by the workers without immoderate archaeological expertise oregon supervision, nether the guise of renovation and improvement works.
The demolition and the removal of specified idols not lone offend the spiritual sentiments but besides represent punishable offences. The sculptures signifier an integral portion of the spiritual practices attached to the temple. The enactment of damaging the rock-cut deities without immoderate authorization oregon the spiritual process amounts to infringing upon the spiritual rights of the devotees and violating the statutory protections governing past monuments and antiquities, helium said
He sought a absorption to the authorities to guarantee the extortion and the preservation of the idols and the practice structures and to reconstruct and reinstall the idols.
