The Thandurai Ratnagarbeswarar temple work is progressing well and the extra mortar on the Vimana has been scrapped and lime mortar is being plastered. The weather course which was almost one metre high which detoriated the roof has been removed and re-laid with minimal thickness. The pointing of the external stone walls is also over. The Vimana work is in progress and the Kumbabhishekam is to be held on 21st of November 2012.
Vepenjeri Vasthudevapathi Damodara Perumal temple is also complete and the Shiva temple Vimana work at adjacent Natham Parameswari Mangalam on the Palaar River is also progressing well. The sannidhis for the Ganapathi and Murugan shrines are built fresh and the Vimanas in this Pallava temple are being readied to match the garbhagruha, by Shankar Sthapathi.
The Stainless steel railings around the 100 pillar hall at Varadaraja Perumal temple have been fitted using latest Hilti grouting drilling and pointing materials. This prevents vandals and vagabonds who stay overnight inside the temple premises not to misuse the Mandapa and spoilt the water body nearby.
Members Veera Rajamanickam and Chandrasekaran visited the Velliangiri Hill to trek up crossing some 6000 feet and 6 hillocks to reach the abode of the Velliangiriswarar Swayambu Linga Shrine. Some miscreants had created a crack in the Linga trying out to carve an perambulatory path around it (Avudai). REACH team inspected it and decided to apply herbal paste to cover the linga’s crack and cover the same with a Nagabarana. Second trip is yet to be decided.
Dr T Satyamurthy, along with the REACH members from Coimbatore chapter visited the Irugur Neelakandeshwarar temple in the end of July to study the restoration of this heritage temple and provide a new mandapa, matching with the antiquity and aesthetics. The Parampara Priest, a Rajaguru for the strong local community showed us the copper plates, old documents of the British Raj, strengthening the theory of their existence as the Rajagurus for almost 1000 years as a generation. The trustees wished to restore using traditional materials as per REACH team’s advice and we have already submitted the estimates. Work would be started once we get an approval from the temple committee members.
The small ‘Kaarkum Pillayar’ temple believed to be built some 200 years ago by the locals thanking Ganesha for saving them from floods has some mixed style of both old and new. The iron rods used to make beams have worn out due to rust and has become weak. Cementing done all over the temple has withered in just 30 years. Now the Kaarkujm Pillayar temple’s restoration work has been entrusted to REACH by the families belonging to this small hamlet, near Mayavaram @ Mayiladuthurai. Work has begun in July 2012. The cement plastering are scrapped, the vimana strengthened with lime mortar and the roof replaced with brickbats and lime mortar. Plans are afoot to fix granite rough slbas on the walk way and within the Garbhagruha.