The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : PIL against proposed alterations to Yanaimalai

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Thursday, Feb 11, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

PIL against proposed alterations to Yanaimalai

Mohamed Imranullah S.

Direction sought to acquire the hillock and protect it

Hillock is a solid block of gneiss
It is declared a protected monument

MADURAI: A public interest litigation petition has been filed in the Madras High Court Bench here on Wednesday against the constitution of a high level committee by the State Government to mull over the feasibility of establishing a Sculpture Park by cracking the Yanaimalai, a hillock in the shape of an elephant, near here.

The petitioner, A. Mahaboob Batcha, Managing Trustee of Society for Community Organisation (SOCO) Trust, a voluntary organisation here, also sought for a direction to the Union Government to acquire the hillock and ensure its proper protection without disturbing its original character.

According to him, the hillock was a solid block of gneiss almost three kilometres in length and about 90 metres in height. It derived its name from its resemblance to a massive figure of a reclining elephant.

It was also declared as a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.

The hillock contains sites of archaeological importance such as a Jain cavern with Bas Reliefs of Mahavir, Parsuvanath and others. Ancient Tamil Brahmi scripts on the hillock describe it as ‘Ivakunram’ meaning elephant hills. A Narasingaperum temple in the hill also contains ancient Tamil Vattalethu inscriptions.

The hillock was almost identical in appearance to the Australia’s popular Ayers Rock. It was being protected without any disturbance by the Australians.

Similarly, the Yanamalai too needs to be preserved in its original form, the petitioner said and sought to quash a Government Order issued on December 30 constituting the high level committee.

“Immediately after the impugned G.O., the people living nearby are sought to be evicted by unknown persons. The petitioner firmly believes that the entire concept of Sculpture Park would only benefit the granite lobbies. Already several hills were razed to ground to exploit granites, including the Sarkarai Avulia Darga hillock in Keelavazhavu and Muthupatti Jain hillock,” he claimed.

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