Tuesday, February 17, 2015

New course for engineers in heritage conservation


T. RAMAKRISHNAN
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Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam. Photo: B. Velankanni Raj
The Hindu
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam. Photo: B. Velankanni Raj
: The State government has decided to conduct a six-week course on conservation and restoration of monuments for the present set of engineers, who lack the requisite skills.
Need for such a course was felt as a large number of restoration and conservation projects had been undertaken by various government departments, especially the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department, in the last three years.
Based on the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, Rs. 90 crore has been set apart for the renovation of over 200 temples without tampering their heritage value.
In the last three years, 183 temples were provided with Rs. 67.50 crore as part of the Finance Commission's grant.
This year, the government has sanctioned Rs. 22.5 crore for 46 temples. Also, using the government's grant and funds, a number of temples had been covered under renovation and restoration.
In all, restoration and renovation works are over in respect of 5,400 temples so far.
A major work is on to the ramparts of the Ranganathar temple in Srirangam. The authorities have decided to take up one such work at the Arunchaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai.
As for secular monuments, the prominent projects relate to restoration of the Kalas Mahal in Chepauk and the National Art Gallery building in Egmore here.
To be run by the State Archaeology Department, the course, in two batches, will be compulsory to those engineers working with the HR&CE Department. Also, those who are in the Public Works and Highways Departments can participate in the course. 
The syllabus for the course has been framed with the help of the HR&CE, the Archaeological Survey of India, IIT, Madras University and the State Archaeology and Museums Departments.
An official explains that the course covers all heritage monuments, both temples and secular. He adds that such a course is the first of its kind in the country. 
A week ago, the government issued an order giving approval for the course. 

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tamil-nadu-government-introduces-new-course-for-engineers-in-heritage-conservation/article6529865.ece

HC halts renovation of two ancient temples

he Madras High today restrained government from renovating two ancient temples near here, observing that any such work should be carefully undertaken as these were stated to be monuments. 

The court in its direction restrained the Commissioner of Hindu Religious Charitable Endowments Department (HR and CE) from renovating the Adi Perumal Temple and Samaya Eswarar Temple at Pazhaverkadu, which were built with laterite stones which are not available in and around the vicinity Tamil Nadu or nearby states. 

Passing interim orders on a petition by one Srikumar, a heritage enthusiast, Justice V.Ramasubramanian said "since the temples in question are stated to be ancient monuments, any work of renovation should be carefully undertaken. Therefore, there will be an order of interim injunction restraining the HR&CE from proceeding with renovation work for present." 

The petitioner, relying upon articles published in two English dailies, said the HR & CE had taken up the renovation of the temples located in Pazhaverkadu, also known as Pulicat, 60 km from here, without meeting mandatory requirement such as obtaining the opinion of Archeological Department. 

The two temples were built using laterite stone which is not common to South Indian temples and available only in Kerala, Karnataka and Goa in the Western Coast. Buildings constructed using these stones when exposed to air and sun become hard. 

The petitioner alleged that the HR&CE, which had taken over the administration of these temples ten years ago under the guise of renovation, had brought down the temple compound wall and broken the footsteps and replaced the laterite stones. 

Hence, he prayed to the court to restrain the HR&CE from carrying out renovation of above temples.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/hc-halts-renovation-of-two-ancient-temples-114110501623_1.html

Writing on temple walls could recast Tamil history

HENNAI: The history of the region could be rewritten if more than 65,000 Tamil inscriptions in stone dating back more than 1,500 years are decoded, says an epigraphist who is trying to popularise the study of inscriptions on temple walls. 

Retired chief of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) T Satyamurthy and founder of Reach Foundation, who is one of the few epigraphists in the country, says Tamil history as we know it is based on reading of inscriptions on temple walls. 

Tamil kings of the Pallava, Chola, Pandya and Vijayanagar dynasties were patrons of temples and inscribed the walls with their achievements. 

"Ancient temples in the villages of Tamil Nadu are a treasure trove of historical data. Most of these temples are being desecrated," he said. 

Stone inscriptions in temples throw light on the system of governance, political history and local traditions of that era. 

Satyamurthy said, "In some temples, the authorities have covered inscribed stone walls with ceramic tiles. Some stone walls have been cut and used as slabs because people are not aware of the value." 

The credit for preserving stone inscriptions should go to the chief epigrapher appointed by the British, he said. 

About 1 lakh stone inscriptions from across the country are preserved by ASI, of which about 65,000 are in Tamil. "Since the 1920s, there has been no significant effort to document the inscriptions," he said. 

Reach Foundation has been conducting classes in epigraphy for more than eight years on Sundays at T Nagar. It has trained 300 students from various walks of life. One of the students, A Gayathri, is a playschool teacher. "I was interested in reading stone inscriptions. The classes helped me learn more details." 

In 2012, Reach Foundation renovated the Kunteeswarar temple at Thandarai, about 10km off Uttaramerur-Vandavasi road, at a cost of Rs 5 lakh. 

"The year-long renovation began after a taxi driver spotted engravings on the temple walls and alerted us," said J Chandrasekaran, spokesperson for Reach. 

A team of epigraphists found that the engravings had been whitewashed. They stripped the walls of paint and discovered precious stone reliefs. 

"Epigraphers reading Greek or Roman stone inscriptions have an easier task as these languages can be deciphered by English speakers. Sangam Tamil inscriptions can only be read by speakers of the language with a strong grasp of past local traditions," said Satyamurthy. 
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Writing-on-temple-walls-could-recast-Tamil-history/articleshow/45142102.cms?

Hundreds protest against demolition of temple structures


  • V Shankar, deputy commissioner of Bangalore Urban, who organised the demolition drive, stated that the structures were built on the property of Kacharakanahalli Lake and were violating the law.
    V Shankar, deputy commissioner of Bangalore Urban, who organised the demolition drive, stated that the structures were built on the property of Kacharakanahalli Lake and were violating the law.  YM Reddy/iamin
On Saturday, November 22, tension prevailed at Kacharakanahalli, Bangalore Central, when a posse of policemen attempted to demolish some unauthorised structures constructed by Sri Rama Temple management committee. The police force was supervised by V Shankar, deputy commissioner of Bangalore Urban, who stated that the structures were built on the property of Kacharakanahalli Lake and was violating the law.
Trouble ensued when hundreds of people from Kacharakanahalli and neighbouring areas thronged to protest the demolition of structures on the temple premises. Protesters shouted slogans asking the deputy commissioner to suspend the demolition drive. Meanwhile, local MP PC Mohan, MLC TA Saravana and corporator Padmanabha Reddy rushed to the spot to control the angry mob. “I recieved information that the Sri Rama Temple is being demolished so I rushed to the spot to stop it. I am not against clearing encroachments on the lake land but I also don’t want the deputy commissioner to demolish the temple structure. Some people have already constructed houses near the temple, which were allotted by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) in 1978. The then government committed a blunder by allowing BDA to form a layout on lake land. It is the responsibility of the state government to solve the issue. I do not want anyone to lose their houses,’’ Mohan said.
The situation was brought under control after the deputy commissioner called-off the activity. “The temple management committee has agreed to remove illegal structures. So, I do not want to demolish it. I will take measures to fence the lake land and prevent encroachment,’’ Shankar said.
http://www.iamin.in/en/bangalore-south/news/hundreds-protest-against-demolition-temple-structures-46866

Tamilnadu District Wise Temple Official Websites

Tamilnadu District Wise Temple Official Websites

Please Click On The District To View The Website..


SOURCE : http://www.tnhrce.org/temples/TNHRCE_temple_information.html 

Decoding Temple Architecture

By Express Features

Published: 29th December 2014 06:04 AM
Last Updated: 29th December 2014 06:04 AM
Historian T Satyamurthy, in his talk titled Intricacies of Indian Art, said that art and architecture were inseparable. “They supplement each other,” he said. The talk, which was organised by Apparao Galleries and held at the Leela Palace recently, dealt with various forms of art adopted by artists in South India, especially during the Chola and Pallava periods.
Satyamurthy spoke about Indian art, temples, difference in their architecture over a period of time, and the reasons for the same. A PowerPoint presentation was played simultaneously, displaying photos of temples spanning eons, reflecting the changes in art over a period of time.
“It was believed that the builders of temples wanted to boost their ego and were feudalistic. There was a general belief that they created art (by building temples) only to boost their ego,” he said. “But this was not the real scenario. They actually lived for art,” he added.
Satyamurthy said that it was only in south of India that temples had square bases that became circular towards the top. “You wouldn’t find a temple with a square base that becomes circular, in North India. These were the temples that came up during the Pallava and Chola period and they depict depict what went through the minds of artists. During the Chola period, for instance, art reflected the social and political aspects of society as well,” he said.
The historian also spoke about the ‘prescriptions’ an artist was supposed to take — being a master in fields of mathematics and engineering, being well-disciplined, innovative and so on.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Decoding-Temple-Architecture/2014/12/29/article2592493.ece 

Now, prasadam to get quality check: Licences of kitchens to be reviewed



COIMBATORE: Food and offerings prepared in temples in Coimbatore district will soon come under the food safety department's scanner. The department has been instructed to collect samples of prasadam prepared in temples regularly and check if they are fit for consumption. The licences of temple kitchens will also be reviewed over the next few months.

At the health steering committee meeting at the district collectorate on Tuesday morning, collector Archana Patnaik told food safety department officials to monitor closely food prepared in temples.

"Since large numbers of people congregate at temples, we have been told to keep an eye on the food and prasadam served there," said designated food safety officer Dr R Kathiravan. The department has not received any complaints about temple prasadam. "This is purely a safety precaution," he said.

Most of the temples run by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department in the state as well as by private trusts hold licences for their kitchens, said the official. "The kitchens are hygienic and well-maintained but some of them do not follow our rules when it comes to packaging of prasadam and serving it on clean banana fibre plates and cups," said Kathiravan.

Across the state, the HR&CE department says it keeps a tight rein on temple kitchens to ensure hygiene. The department has officials in charge of quality checks so that the prasadam as well as the food served in the annadanam halls is clean and fresh. An official of the HR&CE department said most kitchens had been automated to prevent contamination of food and only the best ingredients were procured. Packaging too has been improved so that the prasadam can stay fresh and withstand travel.

At the Palani Murugan temple, for instance, the entire process of making the panchamirtham prasadam, is mechanized from the peeling of bananas to the packaging. Previously, people would stamp bananas to pulp but the process has been automated to ensure cleanliness as well as meet the huge demand, said an official.

Kitchens in other large temples such as Tiruchendur are also automated, while smaller temples like Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane in Chennai and the Srirangam temple have separate kitchens with trained staff. The prasadam is prepared following traditional recipes and specific ingredients have to be procured.

The department makes all efforts to ensure that the taste is authentic though it now has to mass produce most of these offerings, said an official.

The Coimbatore administration, however, is taking no chances. "We will be reinforcing our rules and advisories," said Kathiravan.

Modern accommodation awaits Srirangam pilgrims


DC CORRESPONDENT | January 02, 2015, 05.01 am IST
Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangam.
Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangam.
chennai: Devotees keen on embarking on a pilgrimage to the centuries old Sri Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam can now avail modern accommodation on the banks of Kollidam (also known as Coleroon river), west of Srirangam, at affordable price. For the first time, the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) department has established Yatri Nivas that could accommodate about 1,000 persons.  
About 98 double bedrooms and 24 cottages with twin bedrooms each apart this yatri nivas has dormitories.It has a herbal garden to highlight the significance of medicinal plants.
 It took about one-and-a-half years to complete this Rs 48 crore project. HR & CE Commissioner P. Dhanapal who inspected the newly dedicated yatri nivas in view of Vaikunta Ekadasi said devotees could also book accommodation through the temple website: www.srirangam. org.
“The tariff for the rooms have been kept at a nominal price to ensure the devotees benefited and also had hassle-free stay in the temple town during their sojourn,” he said. The tariff for cottage is Rs1,750, a/c double room: Rs 750 and for non-a/c it is Rs500. The dormitory accommodation is available on payment of Rs100. The yatri nivas is the brainchild of the former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa who wanted the government to provide good accommodation for the pilgrims. 
Accordingly, the project was taken up on 6.48-acre land and she had inaugurated the project. Kollidam is a famous tourist spot and staying at this scenic place would strategically position the devotees in visiting the near-by temples.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/150102/nation-current-affairs/article/modern-accommodation-awaits-srirangam-pilgrims