MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to take immediate steps to install and replace missing and damaged idols of Ashta Dikpalakar (deities of eight directions) at the Brihadeesvara temple (Peruvudaiyar temple) in Thanjavur.
Preliminary works should commence within three months and the installation and replacement of idols should be completed within one year, the court added. A bench of justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel passed the order, while disposing of a batch of PIL petitions in this regard.
The judges observed that Chola emperor Raja Raja I would be shedding tears that the temple, which he so fondly built, unfortunately had not been preserved with the respect it deserves owing to the damage caused to the idols or because the idols were missing in the eight corners.
Noting that authorities rejected a representation made by one of the petitioners by stating that replacement of idols was not permissible under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 and the Rules, 1959, the judges pointed out that the rules only prohibit destroying, removing, altering or defacing idols.
Since the temple is a sacred living temple, broken idols should never be permitted to remain in their shrines. The shrines should also not remain without a deity. On both counts, the sanctity of the temple continues to suffer, they added. Pointing out that the temple is preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India, the judges said ASI can retain possession of the broken idols and preserve them.
The direction was issued to Thanjavur collector, HR&CE joint commissioner (Thanjavur), hereditary trustee of Thanjavur Palace Devasthanam, and assistant superintending archaeologist of Tiruchy circle to replace the damaged idols of Agni (South East), Varunan (West), Vayu (North West) and Esanar (North East) and install new idols of Indiran (East), Yaman (South), Nirriti (South West) and Kuberan (North). Sources in the Thanjavur Palace Devasthanam said four idols went missing and four were damaged pre-Independence, and no complaints had been lodged.
