The 150-year-old clock at the famed Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal in the temple city has stopped working. According to experts, the clock was made in London and was installed in the Nayakar Mahal during 1860s by the then Madras governor general Lord Napier.
N Ganesan, regional assistant director of Archeology, told Express “The internal design and structure of the clock is very finite. Accumulation of even a small amount of dust would disturb the functioning of the needles and would make the clock dysfunctional.”
Doves very often rest inside the clock. Even though they do not disturb the functioning of the clock, their droppings can cause damage to the internal parts of the clock. “As the Mahal hosts numerous doves, we need to take extreme care to maintain the clock,” he added.
“This problem is common in all the old clocks. However, we will rectify the problem soon and make sure that the historical clock is running again,” he assured.
According to sources, the long needle of the clock is about 1.75 feet long and weighs 1.5 kg, whereas the small one is about 0.75 feet long and weighs 1 kg. The diameter of the clock is about 36 inches. The pendulum of the clock is about 1 m long and weighs 20 kg and it takes one second to move from one side to another. The bell weighs about 200 kg. One could hear the ringing of the bell from a distance of up to 1 km. The dysfunction may be related to problems in winding mechanism.