The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Crumbling of temple wall, a recurring problem

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 24, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Crumbling of temple wall, a recurring problem

Staff Reporter

Part of rampart on outer ‘prakara’ collapsed on Saturday

— Photo: R. Ashok

NEEDS URGENT ATTENTION: A portion of the rampart on the outer “prakara” of the Ranganathaswamy temple on North Chithrai Street in Srirangam, which collapsed on Saturday.

TIRUCHI: The crumbling of a part of the rampart on the outer ‘prakara’ of the Ranganathaswamy temple at Srirangam on Saturday has aggravated the anxiety of residents, who have been witnessing the collapse of the structure periodically.

It is for the second time this year, and the fourth time over the last five years, that the rampart, forming the sixth ‘prakara,’ suffered damage. More than 50 boulders came crumbling down, says a resident.

According to R. S. Krishnamurthy, a resident, at whose backyard the rampart separating the North Chithra and North Uthira Streets crumbled, the structure has weakened and the temple management should renovate it immediately.

The wall had suffered damage during 2002, 2004, and June this year. There are 50 houses on the North Chithra Street.

The central portion of the 18-foot rampart, which has been weakened by the presence of a neem tree and other vegetations on the crevices, and by the heavy rain last week, is getting damaged repeatedly. Every time, the boulders crumble down from the spot damaged on the previous occasion.

Joint Commissioner of the temple M. Kavitha told The Hindu that there was a plan to renovate the rampart, which sets forth the grandeur of the temple, with the help of donors.

In fact, similar works were being executed on the other walls that were weak.

On the North Chithra Street, she said, inadequate space to erect scaffoldings was hindering the work, as the wall almost forms the boundary of the backyard of all the houses.

The boulders should be removed and numbered for re-alignment.

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