THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The advocate commissioner appointed by the High Court will submit his report on the controversial renovation of the Thirunelly Maha Vishnu temple in Wayanad on Thursday. The court is currently hearing a petition alleging that the centuries-old iconic temple was demolished without exploring the possibility of restoration.
Advocate commissioner M R Arun Karanavar surveyed the temple on May 28. The case is being heard by a division bench consisting of Justice Anil K Narendran and Justice P G Ajithkumar. Earlier, the State Archaeology Department informed the court that it was kept unaware of the reconstruction of the heritage structure. In its interim report, the department stated that it had issued a stop notice in April following several complaints. The notice instructed the temple management to halt all activities that could impair the heritage value of the temple. The department requested time from the court to prepare a detailed report on the extent of the damage.
H Dinesan, the director of the Archaeology Department, clarified that their objective is a scientific restoration of historic structures, not reconstruction. “The reconstruction works at the temple have hindered the possibility of the structure being designated as a heritage monument in the future. The temple management had reconstructed the centuries-old sanctum sanctorum a decade ago. The chuttambalam (structure around the sanctum) was demolished last year. The department was not consulted on any of these works,” he stated.
In April 2022, TNIE published a report highlighting the ill-considered renovation of the temple. At that time, the temple’s executive officer, K C Sadanandan, had informed the publication that the reconstruction of the chuttambalam was carried out according to the plan prepared by Vastu expert Kanippayyur Krishnan Nambudiripad. Sadanandan explained that the chuttambalam and balikkalpura (oblation stone structure) would be replaced with new granite structures with tiled roofing in a traditional ambience. Another planned work was the completion of the vilakkumadam.
The vilakkumadam is an outer wall surrounding the chuttambalam, where lamps are fitted. The Thirunelly temple has an unfinished vilakkumadam of historical significance. It is said that the work was initiated by the former King of Coorg without the knowledge of the temple’s then-custodian, Kottayam Raja. Upset by this, the Kottayam Raja halted the works, and the structure remains unfinished to this day.
Fortunately, the court intervened before the management began work on the vilakkumadam. However, the legendary granite aqueduct, which carried water from a distant stream, has been partially dismantled.