Sad Condition of South Indian Temples

[Marathaman]

It is actually a very important Chola-era temple. It is from the same era as Darasuram and Gangaikondacholapuram.

You can see the Vimanam is quite tall like the Big temple.
http://picasaweb.google.com/mahadevanr/7Tribhuvanam#

[bonoslack7]

hmm..looks like a big n old temple...not a community temple for sure...i have no idea why they are painting everything. I can't think of a reason why gov. wants to waste money.

[Marathaman]

Now they are painting them with lime (chuna). Tripuranthakam, Andhra Pradesh
http://picasaweb.google.com/psharan000/Tripuranthakam#

[Marathaman]

Ancient 1,000-pillar Jain Basadi in Karnataka now in a shambles
Published: Wednesday, Mar 2, 2011, 9:13 IST
By M Raghuram | Place: Moodabidri | Agency: DNA

One of the largest Jain pilgrimage centres in the world is now in a shambles.The city of Moodbidri, which houses several wonders of Jain architecture, has now fallen prey to modernisation.

The city’s culture-rich temple, the Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani, popularly known as the 1000-pillar Basadi, is gradually beginning to lose its charm. The temple, built in 1430, is now a sorry sight, with its crumbling walls and damaged roofs— thanks to the highway traffic and heavy-duty mining in the vicinity. In fact, the temple complex that houses a sub- shrine called Bhairadevi Mantap developed cracks and a part of the cornice fell off on Tuesday.

The three-storey temple complex is managed by a private trust called Dhavala Thraya Trust under the Jain Mutt of Moodbidri. The trust has very less monetary benefits and absolutely no resources to manage the temple’s huge complex.

“The degeneration has been fast during the last three years. The trust has been restoring it from time to time, but the massive stone structures have now started developing cracks and the delicate stone cornices have started crumbling. A huge stone cornice broke and crumbled on Tuesday. When I inspected the spot with some Jain leaders and engineers, I found out that the temple and its sub-shrines are damaged,” said swamiji of Jain Mutt Bhattaraka Charukirti Panditacharyavarya

“I have appealed to the government many times, but in vain. The mining for granite is being carried out at least in three places surrounding the temple. In addition, the loud highway traffic is also a cause for the temple’s present state.”

An official in mining and geology department said that the mining activities were taking place in close proximity to Basadi. Due to heavy explosives, the temple’s stone structures are falling apart, he said.

Moodbidri MLA Abhayachandra Jain said, “Basadi’s management has to use theresources available to maintain the temple. Sadly, the temple has been guarded as a mutt property, citing the donation of land by Vijayanagara king Krishnadevarayain 1430.”


Quarry poses threat to Jain basadi


A stone slab from the roof of the ‘mukha mantapa' of the Thousand Pillar Basadi that crashed in Moodbidri near Mangalore.

MOODBIDRI: The safety of the 15th century Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani Basadi, better known as 1,000-pillar basadi, here has again come into focus as a stone slab from the roof of its “mukha mantapa” called “Bhairadevi Mantapa” came down on Saturday.

500-year-old basadi

The basadi is an important tourist attraction of the State. The 500-year-old basadi has special significance for Jains.

The stone slab of Jain basadi 12-foot long, 4-foot wide and its thickness varying from 3 inches to 6 inches has broken into four pieces.

Front stone lintel

A decade ago, according to Bhattaraka Charukeerthi Pandithacharyavarya Swamiji, head of the Jain Math, the front stone lintel of the same mantapa had developed a crack. In addition, the single stone “mana stambha” in front of “Bhairadevi Mantapa” had developed a crack. This monolithic “mana stambha” alone is 50-foot tall. It has been erected on an eight-foot pedestal.

Lightning

The seer said the basadi did not have a lightning arrester. So lightning is posing threat.

National heritage

Recognising its importance, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which had listed the monument as the National Heritage Site, granted Rs. 32 lakh for its renovation in 2008, the seer said.

200 carvings

The seer said the mantapa had about 200 stone carvings depicting animals, yoga, sports, birds, war scenes, soldiers, characters of puranas and so on.

Heavy trucks

He said the basadi was just within 200m from the National Highway 13. Movement of heavy trucks was posing a threat to the safety of the basadi. The Government should lay a by-pass road in Moodbidri to divert heavy vehicles on the NH 13.

‘Kadina' blasting

Blasting at granite stone quarry at Marpady was threatening the structure, he said. The seer suspected that blasting of “kadina” (low intensity country bomb) on festive occasions in the surroundings of Moodbidri could pose a threat to its safety.

Quarrying

The seer said the Government should ban granite stone quarrying and laterite stone quarrying units within 10 km radius of the basadi.

Ravindra, Deputy Director, Department of Mines and Geology, ruled out the possibility of the blasting in the quarrying unit which was 4 km. away posing threat to the safety. The blasting can damage structures within 200 m radius of a quarrying unit.

The official said blasting of “kadina” (a low intensity country bomb) could damage a structure within 50-m radius depending on its intensity.

Reasons to be studied

Dr. Ravindra said there could be other reasons for the stone slab coming down at the basadi which should be studied. Deputy Commissioner Subodh Yadav told The Hindu on Wednesday that he was not aware of the incident.

He could have looked into all aspects if any one concerned had brought it to his notice.

He and Dr. Ravindra said the maintenance aspects of the basadi should be looked into before drawing any conclusion.

Book on the basadi

A book on the basadi published by Sri Dhavalathraya Trust of the math said Bhairadevi, the then chieftain of Bhatkal, had built the mantapa in 1462 A.D. This mantapa alone had 50 pillars. Architecture of each pillar varied.

____


Moodbidri: Alarm over Crash of Ceiling Slab in Thousand-pillar Basadi



Moodbidri, Mar 1: Is crass commercialism getting the better of our heritage? There is yet another sign of our history crumbling under the pressure of modernization.

This temple-town, known as Jain Kashi, draws hundreds of pilgrims from all over India and abroad every day. The Jain community woke up to an alarming story the other day.

A ceiling slab on the right hand side of the Bhairadevi mantap in the precincts of the famed, historical Thousand-pillar Basadi crashed to the ground on Saturday. Though the basadi is known so by its common name, its original name is Tribhuvana Tilaka Choodamani Chaityalaya, built, as the inscriptions therein say, between 1429 and 1462 AD. Over the centuries, it has stood the test of time and withstood all elements of nature like rain, sun, storm and lightning.

Swasti Shri Bhattaraka Charukirti Panditacharyavarya Swamiji of the Moodbidri Jain Math convened a media meet on Monday to apprise the public of the situation and the damage.

The Bhairadevi mantap, got built in her name by queen Bhairadevi of Bhairanakote, Bhatkal in 1462, lies at the entrance of the basadi. A part of the ceiling slab came off two days ago. Besides, the monolithic pillar, called maanasthambha, has developed crack recently, perhaps caused by lightning.

The Swamiji said that excessive granite quarrying around Moodbidri, which involves blasting of rocks using explosives, as also a steep increase in the movement of heavy vehicles on the road beside the basadi had been playing havoc on the heritage structures.

The road-widening projects also had brought about hazards to various basadis like Kere basadi, Baikanatikari basadi, Padu basadi, Badagu basadi, Guru basadi and Vikrama Shetty basadi. While development was essential, conservation of heritage should be prioritized, he insisted.

The Swamiji also called for a ban on movement of heavy vehicles within a radius of a kilometre of town, immediate construction of a bypass, which has been long pending, a ban on quarrying within a radius of 10 kms and also a ban on bursting of 'kadani' crackers during festivals and occasions.

[flyinfishjoe]

Yes, I visited that temple this July and I was surprised to find the most famous building in Moodabidri had leaky roofs, crumbling walls, etc. The situation had worsened a lot since I last visited several years ago.

[Marathaman]

Illegal quarrying turns Hampi’s world-famous ruins into rubble



On Sunday, a portion of the 13th-century Varaha Temple, located at the heart of the world heritage site, came crashing down — a consequence of regular dynamiting of rocks in the vicinity; experts warn of impending calamity.

What marauding vandals over the centuries, or relentless erosion by the elements could not do, illegal mining has done. Some of the most impressive structures at the world heritage site at Hampi have developed cracks and are in various stages of collapse following unchecked quarrying of granite in the vicinity.

On Sunday, a portion of the famous Varaha temple, located in the heart of what was one of ancient world’s largest open air museums, came crashing down. Regular dynamiting of rocks in the periphery of the Vijayanagar ruins had seriously weakened the structure, and it just took a heavy downpour to do the rest.

The Varaha temple episode has set alarm bells ringing, as this is just one among many structures at Hampi that have collapsed recently, or are tottering on the brink. Ten days ago, parts of the Vijaya Vittal temple gopura and its walls developed cracks and collapsed. Similarly, brick and stone portions of Kudure Gombe Mantapa too have fallen off.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was conducting restoration work at the Varaha temple complex when the temple wall crumbled. “Workers and officials were busy with the restoration work when all of a sudden a huge boulder, which was part of the main wall, came tumbling down. Then, in less than a few minutes, the entire wall collapsed. Luckily no one was injured in the incident,” Manjunath, a witness, said.

The sudden collapse of the Varaha temple has raised concerns over the safety of other temples in Hampi. “Granite quarrying is rampant in Bukkasagara, Venkatapura and Gudalkere villages which are situated very near to these monuments. The use of explosives over the years has created cracks in the temples. Though the Unesco has ordered a ban on quarrying in the vicinity, not much action has been taken either by the Hampi Development Authority or by the government,” a senior official from the state tourism department, who requested not to be named, explained.



Sources in the state government’s mines and geology department explained that the rock formations around Hampi were mainly granite outcroppings (quartz-ofeldspathic granatite-schist), called Dykes in geological parlance. As these rocks are irregular in size and shape, the miners use explosives repeatedly to obtain stones that confirm to the specs required for export.

In May, when the famous Akka Thangi (Sister Stone) collapsed, tourism minister G Janardhana Reddy visited the site and stated that “quarrying in a six-kilometer radius of Hampi will be banned.” But no action has been taken so far by tourism department officials and the district administration. When asked about it, Panduranga Vittal of Hampi World Heritage Area Development Authority said, “The temples are the property of ASI and we do not have any control over it and they would be the right people to give more details about the issue.”

The ASI, not untypically, sought to skirt controversy by harping on technical matters. Referring to the Varaha temple incident, Kempe Gowda, a senior official from ASI explained: “We have been carrying out restoration work at the Varaha temple premises for the last three months. The main wall supporting the gopura of the temple was built with a mixture of sand and mortar. Over the centuries the temple has become dilapidated and developed lose cracks. With rain water percolating down the cracks, the core filling of the wall was eroded and eventually collapsed.”

[sanjupalayat]

Madayi Kavu Temple, Near Pazhayangadi, Kannur.



Tin Sheet & Concrete structures are really out of place.



The corridor made of concrete blocked the view of the Temple.

[Marathaman]

Against all odds, they have managed to make the temple look like a railway station

Must be Indian Railways influence

[josephantony]

Hard to believe that posts/pictures by sanju are temple!

[ilikemadurai]

RAMANATHAPURAM: With ISO certification being awarded to the Meenakshi Amman temple in Madurai, Lord Venkatachalapathy temple in Tirupathy and the Sri Renganatha Perumal temple in Tiruchy, the onus is now on the government to ensure that the famed Ramanathaswamy temple also joins this elite group.

Recently, the Madras High Court directed the State Chief Secretary to consider framing a scheme for the development of Rameswaram and the Ramanathaswamy temple. The HC also wanted the shrine to be brought on par with popular destinations for pilgrims like Tirupathi and Madurai. However, the temple is now in dire need of repair and funds.

The shrine is famous not so much for its religious sanctity, but for the look it offers into the intricacies of the architecture of our forefathers.However, the delicate murals and paintings lining its walls are now blanketed by a thick film of dirt, suggesting neglect.

Though many have come forward, urging the government to bring this temple under the heritage list, nothing much has been done in this regard yet.

During the DMK regime, former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi assured that `100 crore would be allotted for the renovation of various shrines, including the Ramanathaswamy temple. Till date, not a penny was spent for any such purpose.

The long corridors and massive, sculpted pillars are some of the well known characteristics of this shrine. It is said that the third corridor here is actually the longest in the world. The murals that were once seen on the roof of this� corridor are now hardly visible thanks to the water

seeping in.

The condition that the Lord Subramania Swamy Temple, located at the entrance of Sarasvathi Theertham, is presently in, suggests neglect by the administration.

A certain section of the devotees visiting the shrine are peeved as they feel that the Ganga Theertham that they bring with them is not being properly poured over the deity.
Further, there are no facilities to cater to the elderly and differently abled devotees who visit the temple. The rich and the influential are guaranteed a place to sit in front of the silver step after they cough up the� necessary amount. But, this is just a glimpse from afar for the poor. Most of the corridors are said to be slippery while there are no places for women devotees to change their attire after taking a bath in the 22 theerthams that are in the temple.

Even the lodges maintained by the Ramanatha swamy Devasthanam are said to be in such a bad state that many choose not to spend the night at Rameswaram.

BJP national council member Muralidhran attributes the fact that the shrine is pooly maintained to the shortage of temple staff. According to Pakshi Sivarajan, State joint coordinator of mutts and mandir of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, who had filed the case in the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, the temple administration is not ready to listen to any grievances and has not taken any steps to solve any of the problems.

A temple administration source admitted that damage was found in the golden idol of Ramanatha Swamy, Thiruvatchi and also in some cars.

However, he added that� steps were being taken to repair them.� He also said that tiles were now being laid on the roof to prevent the seepage of water.

Damaged Weapon, Corroded Idols

The Agama rules (Agamas are a body of ancient Indian texts dealing with rituals and ceremonies to be observed in temples) specify that poojas should not be performed to a damaged idol.

However, at the Lord Ramanatha Swamy temple, Palli Arai pooja is performed to the golden Ramanatha Swamy idol, holding a damaged weapon (Malu).
As per the Agama rules, even persons who witness these poojas performed to damaged idols should take a bath and chant 108 Siva Gayathri manthras.

A number of utsava

deities, including Prathosa Nayagar idol, Manonmani idol, Sri Vinayagar idol and the Sri Murugan and Panchaloga Parvathavarthini Amman idol are also in a

corroded state.

Though these idols were kept in the strong room, during important occasions, they are taken out for

worship. Even the pedestal of the golden Ramanatha Swamy idol is partly damaged. According to sources, the last major reconstruction was undertaken after Ramanathapuram King Naganatha Sethupathy had repaired the idol of goddess Parvathavarithini Amman during his reign.

The Golden Nagaparnam,� inlaid with precious stones and the Gowri Sankar Ruthratsam, (two conjoined Uthratsham seeds) which are covered with a gold plate, are also said to be damaged.

Earlier, a garland of silver vilvam leaves used to adorn the golden idol, especially during the Siva Rathiri festival. It was believed that
doing so would wash away the sins committed in three re-births.

Now, neither does the garland adorn the deity, nor do the devotees remember this tradition.

The temple chariots, including a golden one, are no longer glittering and bright, for want of renovation.

Another area that has been ignored and is filled with a musty odour is the Pairavar Sathanam located in the north east corner of the temple. Not just the maintenance of the deities, even traditional practices seem to have gone for a toss.

As per tradition, pujaris of Lord Shiva should be married. But it was said that there are two widowers who perform poojas here.

Moreover, the temple administration has stopped the distribution of Theertham. In India, this is the only temple that gives Kodi Theertham to the devotees. Partaking of this would mean the fulfilment of a� pilgrimage (Jenmanthra Girtham Bavam Nasaye).

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/temple-of...39-60-118.html

Very sad to hear the state of this temple, which is on par with Kasi temple.
It is to be noted that, the kasi-gaya pilgrimage is complete only after taking bath in 22 theerthams of this temple located in the southern tip of india at Rameshwaram.

I visited this temple last year and would say that some of the sculptures were damaged and maintenance was poor.

While making India Shine, today's youth should take steps in preserving India's unique culture and tradition.

[ilikemadurai]

More about this temple here

To have a look at the long corridor click here

[bodhidharma]

Hi
this is very good information, really this temples are build very good architecture, i will go there and let you know the feedback....

Our aim is to reach more people to get awareness about Meditation... kindly share your circles http://www.bodhidharma.co.in keep regular visit then get more info..

[bodhidharma]

Hi
this is very good information, really this temples are build very good architecture, i will go there and let you know the feedback....

Our aim is to reach more people to get awareness about Meditation... kindly share your circles http://www.bodhidharma.co.in keep regular visit then get more info..

[Marathaman]

Chidambaram 2012

image hosted on flickr


http://www.flickr.com/photos/tweenet...n/photostream/

[GollumGollum]

Originally Posted by Marathaman

Illegal quarrying turns Hampi’s world-famous ruins into rubble



On Sunday, a portion of the 13th-century Varaha Temple, located at the heart of the world heritage site, came crashing down — a consequence of regular dynamiting of rocks in the vicinity; experts warn of impending calamity.

Shit. I've been dreading this kinda thing, and it's now happened. And to one of the most famous ruins in India.