Renovation work at the ancient Chola temple dedicated to Sri Matruraivaradheeswarar in Tiruvasai has been going on in full swing. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department, which is executing the project, has drafted a plan to give complete facelift to the temple, which was last renovated in 2001.
The presiding deity had been glorified by Sri Sundarar and Sri Tirugnanasambandar.
The Lord Nataraja in this temple is known as Sri Sarpa Nataraja and has the distinct feature of performing His cosmic dance on a snake instead of the usual ‘muyalagan’, an asura.
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S.Ekambara Stapathi, who was involved in renovating the 27-foot-tall rajagopuram, said the five-tier rajagopuram accounted for about 200 idols. Sri Tirugnanasambandar, according to a legend, invoked the blessings of the presiding deity to cure the illness of a woman whose mobility was crippled by ‘muyalagan’. According to N.Chandrasekaran, executive officer of the temple, nine major works, including water wash of stone structures, renovation of dwajasthambam, building concrete structure around the outer prakaram, renovation of the rajagopuram and vimanams of the presiding deity and Sri Balambigai, construction of a new office room, and installing surveillance cameras, would be taken up as part of the renovation exercise. The HR and CE department accepts donor works and those interested could contact the Executive Officer by dialling 94431-92101.