The ‘Addala Mandapam’ (mirror hall) of Sri Kalyana Venkateswara temple in Punganur town of Chittoor district caved in on Friday.
The crash of the dilapidated structure was attributed to the incessant rains that lashed the town for the last two days. The event caused a flutter as it came close on the heels of the collapse of the imposing ‘Raja Gopuram’ in Srikalahasti.
The temple was immediately closed for public view, while the adjoining ‘Kalyana Mandapam’ was also kept out of bounds for the locals, who thronged the site in large numbers. The temple was built by ‘Yaso Bantha’ Raja Veerabasava Chikkarayalu, the then Zamindar of Punganur in the year 1722 AD. It was renovated in 1998 with an amount of Rs.10 lakh provided by N. Ramakrishna Reddy, the then Member of Parliament from Chittoor.
According to local sources, the sudden downpour left wide cracks on the building, which is used for performing traditional rituals involving processional deities. The reflections formed on the wall, adorned with mirrors, added grandeur. Similarly, the Ashtalakshmi sub-shrine and the north-western corner of the compound wall also developed cracks due to ageing and the time-worn wooden ‘Dhwaja Sthambam’ (temple flagpost) was partly damaged.
“We have posted two police constables at the spot to keep visitors away and informed our higher-ups of the development”, P.Nanjundappa, Circle Inspector of Punganur told The Hindu . Minister for Environment and Forest, P. Ramachandra Reddy, who is also the local legislator, assured the locals that restoration of the structure would be considered.
