There is a ray of hope for the 12th century Apatsahayeswarar temple at Tukkachchi near Kumbakonam, which has been standing derelict for over a century. The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, which has studied the temple, is preparing a detailed project report for conservation.
“We are preparing a detailed project report, and we will be able to submit it to the Department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments by December-end. The intention is that if we submit it now, the Department can deliberate on it, and in the new financial year, it can start work on the site,” said Arun Menon, Associate Professor, Structural Engineering Group, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT.
According to late historian S.R. Balasubrahmanyam, the temple was closely associated with Kulotunga I and Vikrama Chola. Expressing concern over “the magnificent but much-neglected temple”, he had noted that the “temple is of greater significance in the evolution of Chola art and architecture during the later Chola period”. “Apart from that, its importance lies in the fact that it is perhaps the only big temple built during the days of Vikrama Chola,” he had observed in the book Later Chola Temples.
Historian Kudavasal Balasubramanian, the author of a monograph on the temple, pointed out that inscriptions referred to it as Thenthirukalathi or Vikramacholeeswaram. “The history of Tukkachchi is the history of Vikrama Chola as he renovated the old Thenkallathi temple and named it Vikramacholeeswaram,” he explained. Vikrama Chola’s father Kulotunga had made contributions to the temple for the singing of ‘Thevaram’.
Today, a visitor to this temple, whose architecture closely resembles that of the Darasuram temple, would realise that the neglect would have started at least a hundred years ago. It looks as if it had been subjected to an attack by invaders and left to decay.
Covered with moss
Time had taken its toll on its structures. The roof had collapsed at many places, leaving one to wonder whether it could be saved at all. The main gopuram and the gopuram in the second prahara and the vimana of the temples are covered with moss and vegetation and have lost their shape.
“That was what prompted us to work on the temple in 2018-19. We were terribly upset, seeing the status of the temple. IIT-Madras gave a proposal for a pilot conservation project of the temple just before the pandemic, February 2020,” Mr. Menon said.
Subsequently, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the HR&CE Department for preparation of the conservation proposal, factoring in all aspects: archaeological, structural, Ahamic, inscriptions and mural paintings. But there was a delay because of the pandemic. “In the last one-and-a-half years, we have conducted all field documentation... We have also done our surveys, and are also satisfied with the inputs we have received. We have very interesting drone pictures of the entire site and have extensively documented the temple,” Mr. Menon said.
Asked whether there was a need for total reconstruction, he said certain parts of the temple would require dismantling and reconstruction. “The mahamandapam of the Durga temple requires dismantling, but the sanctum sanctorum is in good condition. Some portion of the prahara wall needs reconstruction. Otherwise in-situ conservation is proposed...,” he said.
