Shoddy renovation of ancient Shiva temple at Kiliyanallur raises hackles of conservationists

The renovation of an past Shiva temple astatine Kiliyanallur adjacent Tiruchi has drawn the ire of conservationists arsenic a caller shrine has been built replacing an aged chromatic structure.

Situated on the Tiruchi-Namakkal Highway, the Thirubhuvaneswarar Temple is simply a sub-temple of the Sri Maatrurai Varadeeswarar Temple astatine Thiruvasi adjacent Tiruchi and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.

Though determination is nary wide grounds to bespeak the nonstop play of its construction, immoderate archaeologists judge that the temple could day backmost to the aboriginal Chola period.

However, but for a tiny sub-shrine (of Lord Muruga) and a majestic chromatic entranceway arch, thing overmuch of the aged temple analyzable remains now. The Murugan shrine, a ceramic and mortar operation without immoderate idol, is dilapidated. However, the entranceway arch is intact.

Several idols of the temple, but for the Shivalingam, Nandi, and a fewer different navagraha idols, were reported stolen respective years ago, accidental the section people.

Three caller shrines are nether construction, including the main shrine which volition location the Shivalingam. The different 2 shrines would beryllium for Amman and Vinayakar. A large portion of the ceramic and cement structures person already been completed, though the idols are yet to installed.

Lying alongside the recently built shrines are respective immense chromatic pillars, which were seemingly portion of a mandapam successful beforehand of the main shrine of the aged temple.

ASI’s concern

Expressing interest implicit the operation of the caller factual shrine wherever an past operation existed, a elder serviceman of the Archaeological Survey of India said the temple astir apt belonged to the aboriginal Chola play and could person been renovated by aboriginal rulers. “Such historical structures should not beryllium dismantled and request to beryllium preserved. The immense chromatic pillars person not been numbered. The renovation does not look to person been done arsenic per the established norms — determination seems to beryllium nary due documentation and immoderate effort to sphere the past structure,” the serviceman regretted, emphasising the request for raising consciousness connected preserving specified past structures.

However, a elder HR&CE serviceman of the Thiruvasi Temple said the aged structures were dilapidated and crumbling. As they were successful irreparable condition, the caller shrines were built arsenic per the agama sastra. “The renovation of the temple is being done astatine a outgo of ₹15 lakh with the enactment of donors successful a phased manner. All owed procedures person been followed. Condition mapping was done earlier taking up the renovation and approvals obtained from the determination and State-level adept committees arsenic per norms,” the serviceman said.

According to sources, the archaeological advisor of the HR&CE Department had advised against the demolition of the Murugan shrine and recommended its preservation. The renovation was seemingly initiated by a colony nonmigratory and devotee, P.Manikandan, a clerk employed successful a cooperative nine successful Tiruchi, with the enactment of an head of the nine and its members. In the lack of an archarkar for the temple, helium had been performing puja astatine the temple. “I started frequenting the temple during the COVID-19 pandemic. As I was a regular, villagers suggested that I execute the puja too,” helium said.

Mr. Manikandan said the temple analyzable was dilapidated and the attempts by the section radical to renovate it connected a mates of occasions proved futile. “Following my persistent requests, the Thiruvasi temple authorities got the (sanction) bid for renovation a fewer years ago,” helium said.