Vegetation being cleared on all towers of Srirangam temple

Scores of workers engaged in applying chemical to destroy plants

Pointing work underway at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple Rajagopuram, in Srirangam. Photo: M.Moorthy

All the towers of Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy temple are being cleaned of weed growth, with a view to protecting the ancient structure. Weed growth could be found in all the ‘gopurams’ with their roots spreading deep into the images.

If allowed unchecked the vegetation could even endanger the structural stability of towers.

“Seeds are deposited by birds in a natural process and they germinate on temple towers. The availability of lime further strengthens their growth. In fact, plants growth on towers is stronger and faster than on the soil,” says S. Kalyani, Executive Officer of the temple, who has taken the initiative to destroy the plant growth. “All plants on all ‘gopurams’ are being removed. The work would be completed well before the onset of the monsoon,” she says, adding that the growth would be faster due to presence of water.

Scores of workers have been pressed into service to apply chemical ‘tuffalo’ to destroy the plant.

The chemical is applied deep in to each and every plant.

The roots are kept immersed in the chemical for a few days, so that the entire plant could be uprooted without any difficulty, she says.

Garden being renovated

Meanwhile, the garden inside the temple, which wore a neglected look, is being renovated in joint co-ordination by the Horticulture Department and the NSS wing of the Bharathidasan University. With the accumulation of waste materials and debris, it was a difficult task even to the machinery for clearing debris.

The NSS volunteers from Bhrathidasan University had cleared the debris and the temple authorities had planted various species of plants in consultation with Horticulture Department scientists.

Located on the fifth prakaram of the temple between Chakkarathazhvar and Thayar Sannidhis, the garden is spread over about three acres of land with a large number of trees.

The species planted included white and yellow ‘shenbagam’ from Pollachi, while other commonly available varieties such as jasmine, ‘pichupoo’, ‘kodi sampanki’ and ‘arali’ have also been raised on the nandavanam.