From Kurukshetra to the pond of lilies

From salvaging the granite floor to using oil lamps for illumination, the make-over will do justice to the original concept of this 1,500-year old temple.

Renovation work in progress at Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Temple at Triplicane in Chennai on April 07, 2015. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Vedathai Vedathin Suvaippayanai

Vizhumiya Munivar Vizhungum kodhilin kaniyai

Nandanar Kalitrai Kuvalayathor Thozhdethum Aadiyai Amudai Ennaiyaludaiyappanai Oppavarilla Manidargal vaazhum Maadamamayilai Tiruvallikaeni Kandenae

(Tirumangai Azhwar)

“The temple is moving towards the traditional glory of the seventh century,” sums up Mr. P. Kothandaraman, Assistant Commissioner and Executive Officer, Sri Parthasarathy Swami Temple, Triplicane. From salvaging the granite floor to using oil lamps for illumination, the make-over will do justice to the original concept of this 1,500-year old temple. Balalayam was performed on January 29 bringing the curtain down on the Moolavar shrine for a few months.

There is a steady stream of devotees to worship the utsavar and his entourage placed in the hall of mirrors. “Balalayam is a novel affair for this generation because work on such a major scale is being taken up after 1975,” observes the A.C. Vedavalli, Triplicane resident of six decades, whose day is not complete without a visit to the temple, is happy that it is

serthi daily, with Sri Ranganathar and Thayar seen together.

The restoration estimate is Rs. 6 crores and work is on at a brisk pace. Modern marble slabs on the floor have been removed to reveal the coarse granite that old temple architecture is so famous for. “Compromises made in the name of convenience are being reversed,” Mr. Kothandaraman informs. Yielding to the vociferous demand of devotees, the gopurams are getting a rich coat of colour.

“Yes, Panchavarnam, as stipulated in the science of temple building is used,” the officer explains. The figures have indeed come alive from the bland ivory that they hitherto sported. Each tier of the Rajagopuram, a stately structure of beauty, tells stories from the epics and the puranas. Yes, episodes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are depicted in detail. However, with the front Mantapam rising up, the grandeur is not visible from the ground level. “That is the design you will find in many temples, including Sriperumpudur,” a devotee, closely associated with the activities of the temple informs.

The walls of the temple have been cleaned and treated with a special non-toxic substance to resist seepage and for better preservation. The old ducts circulating cold air have been dismantled to make way for a sophisticated system that will be silent and less intrusive.

“It is no-no for tube lights,” says Mr. Kothandaraman. Instead, muted lights that will harmonise with the ambience will be used. “In fact, you will see the Moolavar in the glow of silver ghee lamps, a throwback to the old times,” he says. Solar energy, tapped for limited use, will be harnessed on a bigger scale.

All 29 Kalasams atop the gopurams will be dipped in gold. The flag-post will also be refurbished. The vimanam of the Moolavar shrine has a unique arrangement of wood and gold. This has been dismantled for the first time, since installation in 1938, and is a work of major importance. Electrical work and Kalasams will account for the major chunk of the expenditure.

A shelter of fibre will be built for the temple car, a majestic chariot that rolls out during Brahmotsavam.

Linked to the Mahabharata, the temple, one of the 108 Divyadesams, has a special aura. Figures depicting Gitopadesam adorn the four entry points (thorana vaayil) of the temple.

Moolavar Venkatakrishnan, considered to represent Sri Balaji, a thick well groomed moustache distinguishing Him from his Tirumala counterpart, is an imposing figure. He stands in the company of his family – consorts Bhama and Rukmini, brothers Balaramar and Satyaki, son Pratyumnan and grandson Anirudhan - an arrangement only found in this sanctum sanctorum . Utsavar Parthasarathy, Arjuna’s charioteer, is said to have come straight from the Kurukshetra battlefield, His face carrying the marks of Bhishma’s arrows aimed at the Pandava.

With shrines for the deities of five divyadesams, the temple witnesses festivities almost every day of the year. Renovation therefore is taking place in a phased manner. The Rajagopuram, shrines of Moolavar, Vedavalli Thayar, Sri Andal, Sri Ranganathar, Azhwars except Tiumazhisai and Acharyas are being attended to now. The shrines of Yoga Narasimhar and Sri Varadar, Tirumazhisai Azhwar and the tank bund Anjaneyar will be taken up in the next phase.

With a separate entrance and flag post, the Narasimha shrine is a temple by itself overlooking West. Story goes that it was actually Telliyasingar’s abode. Sri Venkatakrishnan, emerging from the battle, entered the premises seeking shelter and went on to usurp the place making it His own!

Telliyasinga Perumal Tempe (T.P. Koil) Street is also where the house of poet Bharati, preserved as memorial, is situated. The presiding deity of this temple is the subject of the Kannan songs of the freedom poet, who was a regular visitor to the temple, it is said. History records that once upon a time, T.P. Koil Street was a major artery, running up to Fort St. George.

“After four decades, work that covers every part of the temple is taken up with funds coming from devotees and donors. We hope to complete the project and get the temple ready for samprokshanam soon,” says Mr. Kothandaraman. He can be contacted at 28442449/28442462 and 9443107809.