3 weeks ago
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The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court connected Wednesday ordered presumption quo to beryllium maintained portion proceeding a nationalist involvement litigation petition that complained that successful the sanction of renovation works, the authorities were damaging rock-cut sculptures, idols and practice structures astatine the Main Falls astatine Courtallam successful Tenkasi district.
A Division Bench of Justices P. Velmurugan and C. Kumarappan directed the State to record a presumption study to the petition filed by Rama. Ravikumar of Madurai district. The tribunal posted the substance for proceeding to May 7.
The petitioner said helium was a devotee of Kutralanathar Swamy temple. The main theertham of the temple was the Kutralam falls. There are respective past rock-cut sculptures and chromatic idols which are worshipped by the devotees. The improvement activities carried retired implicit the years had turned the falls into a tourer attraction.
He said during his sojourn to the spot connected May 1 and 2, helium recovered respective rock-cut sculptures 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 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, helium said.
The enactment of damaging the rock-cut deities without immoderate authorization oregon spiritual process amounts to infringing upon the spiritual rights of the devotees and violating the statutory protections governing past monuments and antiquities, helium said.
The petitioner sought a absorption to the authorities to instrumentality indispensable enactment against those liable for the damage, demolition and removal of the past rock-cut sculptures, idols and practice structures astatine Main Falls astatine Courtallam. He besides sought a absorption to the authorities to guarantee the extortion and the preservation of the idols and practice structures and to reconstruct and reinstall the idols.
