MADURAI: Renovation work to restore the Veera Vasantharayar Mandapam of the Meenakshi Temple got under an expert committee, on Saturday.Laser technology is being used for measuring the distance, height and the elevation value to verify the azimuth direction of the damaged mandapam.The measuring work was completed by Sunday noon by a team comprising private civil engineers and architects under the supervision of N Natarajan, Joint Commissioner of (HR&CE) and Subramanian, junior executive engineer of the temple maintenance.
Stability and leakages between the roof and the pillars was checked and also the azimuth direction of the temple was checked by using ‘Total Survey Machine’, technology.Further, the structural stability of the remaining ceiling of the Veera Vasantharayar mandapam and the combined strength of the ceiling attached to the Vasantharayar mandapam was also examined by checking the stone masonry.
Keeping in mind that last October rain water entered the East and West tower main entrance of the temple till Kodimaram (flag post), the changes in architectural features, arches, pillars, stone pedestals, roofs and towers in other parts of the temple was also examined.Further, plans were made to strengthen the architraves and fillings in between the beams would be carried out through the temple and the gaps that naturally develop at the wall plates at the corners of the walls will also be refilled.
“The measurements and the data collected will be analysed using a specialised software and importance will be given to each single detail that was collectedto restore the old structure of the mandapam,” said an expert committee member on request of anonymity.
He also said that efforts will be made to ensure stability of all parts of the temple, as per the direction of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, including ayiramkaal Mandapam (hall of thousand pillars) and though works will be carried out in a quick pace, no urgency will be shown, and a time frame of six months had been fixed to set it right.
Speaking to Express, Madurai Collector K Veera Raghava Rao said that the debris were being cleared and the reconstruction work will be done as per the suggestions of the of the expert committee.