The Janardhana and Vishnu temples at Punchavayal, near Panamaram, in Wayanad remain neglected despite the Union government declaring the heritage sites as national monuments six years ago. The restoration works of those dilapidated sites remain on paper, blamed on the alleged negligence of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The ASI declared the Janardhana and Vishnu temples (Janardhanagudi and Vishnugudi), temples at a distance of nearly 700 metres, national monuments in 2015 and erected bill boards to the same near them, A. Rajan, a farmer near the site said. A section of the ‘gopuram’ of the Janardhana temple collapsed in rain seven years ago, destroying sculptures on the stonewalls, he said.
“As the dilapidated huge stone structure with intricate carvings in the middle of the temple complex may collapse any time, a quick intervention of ASI to conserve it is imperative,” he said.
Nearly 300 carvings on the huge stone pillars have survived the passage of time. They include a sculpture of a man catching fish, a war scene featuring tuskers, other such war scenes, a few erotic sculptures, a stone edict in old Kannada script, Jain deities, and sculptures of the Dashavathara.
The intricate and elaborate carvings on the pillars are in a dilapidated state due to long years of neglect.
The style of the sculptures and a stone edict on a wall of the Janardhana temple in old Kannada script indicate these temples may have been built during the reign of the Hoysala or Vijayanagara dynasties in the Deccan plateau from the 12th to 14th centuries.
When contacted, sources in the ASI, Thrissur circle, said documentation works of the structures had been completed and conservation works would be taken up soon. The delay was owing to the outbreak of COVID-19.
