HYDERABAD: The Navabrahma temples in the temple town of Alampur are getting a face-lift, thanks to the conservation efforts being undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India, Hyderabad Circle.
The ancient temples which are part of the complex of Jogulamba temple, one of the 18 Shakti Peethas in the country, were believed to have been built by the Badami Chalukyas between the 7th and 9th centuries.
Over the centuries, not only earth has accumulated around the temples resulting in the accumulation of rainwater inside the complex, but in the Balabrahmeswara temple, which is a living temple on the premises of the complex, water has been seeping inside from the roof.
Since August 2022, ASI has been engaged in conservation works to enhance the experience of the devotees, and to protect the structures from further deterioration. As part of the effort, the eight stucco sculptures of Nandi in the Balabrahmeswara temple, which were badly damaged, have been restored.
Four of them were on the parapet wall, and four were on the Gopuram. Lime plastering of matching colours was to restore the sculptures by expert Sthapathis (sculptors) sourced from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu.
The challenge was to stop the water seeping in from the roof of the temple, as the cement and concrete patchwork done earlier was ineffective. Water tightening / weathering course works were taken up to seal the roof. The engineers of ASI used brick-jelly concrete to lay the base of the roof, above which flat handmade tiles were placed in a zig-zag pattern. The roof was sealed using lime-mortar plastering. Draining of rainwater to a manhole was arranged.
Over more than 12 centuries, earth has accumulated around these temples anywhere between a foot to 2.5 feet above the plinth level of these temples. This caused an accumulation of mud and rainwater inside the temples. The earth has been removed and a stone apron was built around the plinth level.
There used to be wired crimped mesh around these temples through which the devotees used to walk through. The mesh has been replaced with grill fencing with proper designs.
The conservation effort was done in the interest of the safety of devotees and to enhance the experience of tourists/devotees, said Chandrakanth, Deputy Engineer, ASI Hyderabad Circle.T Saravanan, Assistant Engineer, ASI, Hyderabad Circle, said that Rs 3 crores were spent on the conservation effort, which will be completed in another couple of months.