The intricate carvings and stone work that adorn the structure of the Adi Narayana Perumal temple in Pazhaverkadu (Pulicat), now have a smooth, cemented feel to it, courtesy renovation work undertaken by unskilled labourers.
Made entirely of laterite stone, the temple is one of the few remaining structures built using the material. “There were two things that were special about the temple,” explains Xavier Benedict, who runs the AARDE foundation at Pulicat, “The majestic archway and the intricate sculptures. Now both of them are gone,” he rued.
The 13th century temple was built by the Vijayanagara rulers and was a frequent last-stop before sailors left from the port town. Having been used extensively for several centuries, it had fallen into ruin over the last 150 years or so – local legend has it that the temple was haunted after a Hindu-Muslim couple eloped from the town, bringing a curse upon them. “There was a mosque very close to the temple, so we have reason to believe that both communities lived close to each other,” added Benedict.
With no conservation agency coming forward to take up the renovation of the temple, it was finally adopted by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Ministry and renovation was commissioned through the Tiruvallur Collectorate in February. “The tender was processed and a suitable bidder was issued the contract. Renovation work and some remodelling has been commissioned,” said a PWD official with the Tiruvallur collectorate, who was involved with supervising the renovation.
After razing the archway down, the contractor has begun smoothing over the laterite blocks – pouring hard cement over the carvings of gods and literally ‘effacing’ them. Benedict, also an architect, observed that laterite conservation would have been better served had they used lime-mortar instead of cement, as it has more air content. “It is upsetting, but as long as the temple is brought from ruin to a functional place of worship, I suppose that’s the silver lining,” he said soberly.