The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction at the proposed structural plans of renovation of the twin ponds at Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, saying the idea of restoring them is not to make them “start resembling like five-star hotel pools.”
A Bench of Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar and Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul said utmost care had to be taken while restoring anything which involved religious sentiments.
“Renovation should not be done in a modernistic fashion. It should be compliant to the religious, and archaeological tradition of the place. The religious nature and the intrinsic character should be preserved,” Justice Chandrachud observed.
Senior advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for the temple trust, said the object of renovating the ponds was to make the water clean and not to add anything more to the existing structure. Mr. Datar was pointing to photographs depicting a central mandapam in the middle of one of the ponds, something which was not there before.
The court asked the parties, including the temple trust, the administrative committee, the Travancore royal family and amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium to sit together and suggest names of experts commonly acceptable to them all for providing guidance on the restoration work.
Justice Chandrachud suggested that the parties should cast their nets wide and look beyond the borders of Kerala for a secular conservationist with a broad vision of Kerala’s heritage and an in-depth understanding of the religious and heritage value of the temple.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 8.
