THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The renovation work of the Padmatheertham pond of Sree Padmanabhaswami temple will begin soon under the supervision of S Hemachandran, former director of the Archaeology Department.After the renovation courted controversy following the use of an excavator, the temple administration committee, the Supreme Court-appointed conservation committee and the erstwhile Travancore royal family, at a meeting, decided to appoint a conservation expert to oversee the works.
Kerala State Nirmiti Kendra, the implementing agency of the works, had demanded the service of a conservation expert and a full-time architectural engineer, both to be selected by the conservation committee to oversee the works.The pond works got stalled on February 24 after a section of devotees, including members of the erstwhile Travancore royal family, raised a protest against the use of an excavator to shift the dismantled concrete slabs.
The huge granite slabs were of the two kalmandapams and the stone steps on the northern side of the pond.
The issue snowballed into a controversy following which the temple administration committee convened a public meeting in which the decision to appoint a conservation expert was announced. Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran too had intervened in the issue. KSNK chief engineer Jayan Raveendran said the decision on whether to reconstruct any more mandapams will be taken by the conservation expert.
The nine tile-roofed mandapams in the Padmatheertham pond requires maintenance works. All madapams will be reroofed and the granite pillars will be replaced in some structures.
The mandapam on the eastern side of the pond will be developed as a photography point where pilgrims will be able to take their photographs. The images will have the temple in the backdrop.The renovation and modernisation work to the tune of Rs 78.55 crore is being carried out on the temple premises as part of the Central Government’s Swadeshi Darshan project. Besides the pond work, beautification of the roads around the temple complex and the setting up of pilgrim amenities, including a multi-level car parking facility have been included in the project.
Pond facts B78.55 crore renovation and modernisation work of the Padmatheertham pond is being carried out on the temple premises as part of the Central Government’s Swadeshi Darshan project
The mandapam on the eastern side of the pond will be developed as a photography point where pilgrims will be able to take their photographsAll madapams will be reroofed and the granite pillars will be replaced in some structures