Work on reviving the aesthetic tempera paintings at Sri Devarajaswamy temple, Little Kancheepuram is all set to gain momentum.
A few more trained hands are likely to join the 3-member team that has already taken up the cleaning of antique wall paintings on the eastern inner wall of ‘Kachivaiththan Thiruchutru’ known as ‘Sri Perarulalan Sannadhi Suttru’ (praharam).
According to official sources, the work of reviving mural paintings was taken up during the second week of August after the State government sanctioned a sum of Rs. 64.10 lakh for this purpose. In a tempera mural, pigments found in natural products are used to bond the painting with the surface.
The work is being executed by specialists in the field of archaeology under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Additional hands will be engaged for this work soon to expedite the process, expected to be completed in about 24 months, sources said. Talking to The Hindu , S. Mohan, an expert on murals, said the paintings drawn using natural pigments on the temple walls belong to tempera category. To begin with the dust, oil and lacquer coating on the paintings, spread over 80 square metre at the ` Kachivaithan praharam’ , would be wiped off using organic material.
Subsequently, reintegration of flakes, if any, with the wall by using binding materials would be taken up.
At any cost, reworking or retouching of the art would not be taken up as it would reduce the antique value of the murals, he added.
R. Raghu and P. Shaju, both educated in fine arts, were involved in the process, under the supervision of Sampath Kumar, a retired ASI modeller and conservationist.
The tempera paintings at Sri Devarajaswamy Temple in Little Kancheepuram
will get a fresh lease of life
