The renovation of an temple “acquired” by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has reportedly not gone well with archaeologists and heritage lovers, who find it “blatant defacing” of the ancient structure.
Nestling under the Chandragiri hillock, less than a kilometre from the famed fort of the Vijayanagara kings, the 16th Century Sri Kodandarama Temple is a remnant of the bygone era’s architectural splendour. With development around, it is today located in the heart of Chandragiri, 15 km from Tirupati.
The temple is believed to have been built during the fag end of Vijayanagara era, when it was on the verge of collapse. The TTD took over the temple four years back, but in the garb of ‘development’, its engineering wing whitewashed the entire structure. The several layers of thick coat of limestone made the sharply etched sculpture of mythological characters go dull or flat. The temple with high heritage value was allegedly not handled with due seriousness. Luckily, the ‘Vimanam’ — the canopy atop the sanctum sanctorum — has been left untouched, where one can see the images of Maha Vishnu’s avatars.
Rare idol
Another feature here is the depiction of Lord Rama at coronation. Rama, with Sita Devi seated on his lap, is surrounded by his brothers Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna, all on a single pedestal. The bottom portion has Garuda and Hanuman, where the latter is seen reading ‘Valmiki Ramayana’. “Rama in Pattabhishekam position is rare and a similar depiction is found at Ayodhyapattinam, 15 km away from Salem in Tamil Nadu,” observes P. Bala Subramanyam, executive member of Archaeology Research Group (ARG), a voluntary body of archaeologists and heritage lovers.
Though the temple falls very much in Chandragiri fort’s ecosystem, it is somehow not covered under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and as such unprotected. When contacted by The Hindu , ASI Senior conservation assistant (Chandragiri Museum) A. Satyam confirmed that the temple did not come under his purview, though having rich heritage value. Ironically, Srinivasa Mangapuram and Vontimitta are ASI-protected temples under the TTD umbrella, where no such damage is allowed.
As ‘Pavitrotsavam’, the annual purificatory ritual, began on Wednesday, which is considered the precursor to the ‘renovation’ plan, the TTD is expected to take up repair to the leaking roof sooner than expected. “Ours is an ancient temple and the heavy coat of limestone given to the walls in the past is indeed avoidable. We will try to undo the damage during the renovation process,” said TTD’s Deputy Executive Officer P. Subramanyam.
