The ongoing restoration of Kalyana Mandapam of the historic Thousand Pillar Temple will be completed by December, said Stapathi Shiva Kumar.
He said the restoration is complete up to roof level and that the side beams have to be put in place. “We are working with single minded devotion to complete it by December. Over 20 specialists are working round the clock,” he told The Hindu .
The temple that enchants scores of tourists now looks deserted, forlorn and empty. The crumbling Kalyana Mandapam opposite the main sanctum sanctorum was dismantled for reconstruction in 2005.
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Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official coordinator Prof. M. Panduranga Rao, who has been supervising the works, said the foundation using traditional sand box technology is complete. Also complete are 330 granular piles, seven layers of Pradikshanapada, and four layers of Kakshashana.
Presently, the sculptors are working on cavity walls, which will be followed by the roof.
Of the 132 pillars, 100 are erected. Thirteen are missing and they are being carved.
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Similarly, 26 beams, which were missing, are being carved by Stapathi Siva Kumar and his team from Tamil Nadu, he said.
According to officials, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will dedicate the monument to the country on December 20, coinciding with the Kakatiya Festival.
Prof. Panduranga Rao said the district administration will be organising a two-day international seminar on ‘Rock restoration and construction technology of Kakatiyas’. It will be attended by international delegates and experts from International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICMOS).
The district administration has submitted a proposal to UN to list Warangal district monuments under the World Heritage List some time ago. The seminar and Kakatiya festival would help give impetus to the proposal, he said.