In its judgment on August 23, the High Court of Madras has directed the HR & CE Department “to proceed in terms of the suggestions made by UNESCO and file a status report before the Court as to the progress made and the time schedule within which the remaining aspects has to be addressed, in a chart form.”
UNESCO had suggested setting up a team of conservation experts and stakeholders for a fact-finding mission to identify the issues in current conservation practices. This could be done through the case studies of five or six temples where the conservation projects are going on. It recommended review of the inventory of temples under the responsibility of HR & CE Department and its grading methodology and organise expert workshops on Agama Sastra with special focus on conservation.
In its earlier judgment, the High Court had directed the HR & CE to go slow on renovation till a proper path was laid since in the hurry to carry out work of this nature, heritage structures ought not to be destroyed. The court had ordered any demolition to be stopped but allowed essential works to be continued. The court clarified that essential works was a reference to works which could not brook any delay as the structure itself faced collapse.
Now, what triggered this directive? The High Court received several individual complaints relating to irregularities in the renovation work in many temples. The court felt that given the huge number of temples in Tamil Nadu and the increasing number of complaints relating to violations, it was appropriate to look at the fundamental problems impacting the conservation of temples and took suo motu cognisance of this issue in 2015.
Renovation has always remained a grey area with more harm than good happening to some ancient temples in the past several decades. Two recent examples, covered by this supplement, were the Thiru Koshtiyur Divya Desam (https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/the-seat-of-learning/article8736946.ece) and Sri Mushnam Bhoo Varaha Swami temple (https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/loose-ends-cause-of-concern/article5400941.ece).
Last year, Dr. R. Nagaswamy, former Director of Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu, submitted a report to the court that referred to the harm being done in the process of renovation. He expressed concern regarding the inscriptions on walls and pillars, the tendency of breaking mandapas, broken sculptures that are considered unfit for worship, removal of the idol under worship, the damage caused by sand and water blasting, re-flooring and replacing of old wood work by new wood work mural painting, etc.
He suggested entrusting the conservation work to persons who had the expertise to undertake the task and recommended a trained conservation engineering cadre. Till such time a proper manual was prepared and persons with relevant expertise were well equipped, structural work in temples should be restricted to only where urgent repairs were called for, he suggested.
A manual was prepared but maintaining that it was inadequate and the HR and CE Department lacked the expertise to prepare one, T.R. Ramesh, president, Temple Worshippers Society (who was a stake holder in the meeting to discuss the preparation of the manual) filed a writ petition in April last. He contended that the department had engaged in new constructions, renovations, alterations and removal of structures, floorings, murals and paintings.
“HR & CE should not be entrusted with the job of taking care of temple structures as even a seemingly simple painting of the Raja Gopuram is a special art and involves the science of conservation,” he says.
Ramesh cites recent examples of violations. Many buildings adjacent to the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, Chennai, are taller than the Rajagopuram, which is not permitted in heritage sites. At the Thiru Nageswara Swamy temple, Kumbakonam, ancient statuaries and Ramayana panels were destroyed due to sand blasting while at the Kasi Viswanathaswamy Temple in Kumbakonam, mosaic floors were constructed and houses built abutting the main Rajagopuram.
He says that preservation and maintenance of structures and the preservation of images in temples are the only approved purposes for which rules could be framed and that as per the TN HR & CE Act 1959 they have no authority to plan and undertake any civil works including renovation, construction, repair or alteration of any structures in any temple.
Striking a balance is Venu Srinivasan of the TVS Group, who spearheaded the complete transformation of the Nava Tirupati Divya Desams around Tirunelveli. “It is important to bear in mind the convenience of the devotees especially in big temples while keeping in mind the agamas, sastras and the ancient architecture and its beauty. Maintenance and repair work has to take place at periodic intervals even while conserving the historical importance of the temples. Both have to go hand in hand,” he says.
Temples are indeed places that throb with energy. There has been a manifold increase over the last decade in the number of devotees thronging temples. The answer may not lie in a sweeping statement that every repair or restoration has caused or is likely to cause damage to the architecture of the temple. The proverb ‘a stitch in time saves nine,’ applies here. A damage, when noticed, has to be fixed without delay.
What does the HR and CE department have to say about all this? Citing the example of the removal of the new toilet complex that was located inside the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple, senior officials at the HR & CE department say that they are ready to engage in a discussion with all the interested parties and take corrective steps, if any. According to them, the department receives 600 proposals for renovation and they are put through a stringent process of approval.
Has agama sastra laid down anything on the subject?
Srinivasan Bhattar, who is well versed in Agama and who has been performing puja at the Therezhendur Aamaruviappan Divya Desam for over four decades, clarifies that Agamasastra does not dictate that samprokshanam (at Vaishnavite temples) has to be done once in 12 years. It is only in recent decades that one has seen a sudden rise in renovation activity.
“It definitely was not a practice to close darshan at the Moolavar Sannidhi as is being done these days. Even if repair work was being undertaken at the temple including painting of Raja Gopuram and the walls, agama does not insist on closing down the shrine. It is only in the recent past that many temples have got into the practice of closing the shrine for as long as six months to one year under the pretext of renovation,” he adds.
The legal tangle did not stop work on Phase Two at Sri Parthasarathy Swamy temple, Triplicane, where consecration took place on August 22, a day before the High Court ruling. At Thiru Koshtiyur, renovation work has come to a halt after the court clarification on July 5. The construction of the new Raja Gopuram at Thiruvellarai Divya Desam is also on hold for the moment. There are also a couple of ancient temples in the Ambasamudram region that are taking a cautious stand on the planned renovation.
The message is clear — the HR & CE department should go slow on renovation and not undertake any new construction or make alterations to temple structures. At the same time, it has the responsibility to come up with a solution acceptable to all parties. Sooner this happens the better.
This article has been corrected for a factual error.
