KANNIYAKUMARI: The Sri Chitra Hindu Religious Library in Nagercoil, which is run by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department will fade into memory if immediate steps are not taken to renovate and promote it.
Established amid lush greenery near the corporation office in Nagercoil, the library is maintained by officials of the Nagaraja Temple in Nagercoil.
Except Monday, the library is open on all days from 9.30 am to 12 noon; and from 4.30 pm to 7 pm.
The library building is popular for its Kerala-style architecture and has an auditorium for conducting spiritual classes. It houses books on Hindu religion, Tamil literature books, and Yoga. With patronage dwindling, all the books were locked up in shelves.
Recalling his school days, 75-year-old N K Vallikannu said he used to go to the library regularly. Former councillor C Perumal Pillai said the HR&CE department should renovate the library and keep it functioning from 6 am to attract morning walkers.
Nagercoil BJP MLA M R Gandhi said spiritual classes used to be conducted in the auditorium of the library. Two years ago, based on his request, HR&CE minister Sekarbabu visited the library following which it was cleaned. But there has been no development since then, he added.
Local historian S Anantha Subramonian said the building was constructed during the regime of the last Travancore king Sri Chithira Thirunal. Folklorist A K Perumal (77) told TNIE that the library was constructed by erstwhile Travancore king Sri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma between 1931 and 1933. It housed the first edition of Mahabharatham (Tamil translation) in 18 volumes, Trivancore history in Malayalam and English and Hindu religious books in Tamil.
In the 1960s and 70s, scholars KV Jeganathan, Kirubanantha Variar, Kundrakudi Adigal among delivered speeches in the auditorium, he added. In the 1980s,book fairs were conducted there.
When contacted, an official from the HR & CE department in the district said they regularly clean bushes around the library. As the building had roof tiles, they replace tiles that get damaged when tree branches fall on them.