April 14, 2004

Sambhavaami Yugay Yugay

Recently I had been to Sri Parthasarathy Swami Temple. Moolavar(the main deity) Sri Parthasarathi is not for public view, and the area cordoned off following the works on renovation to the Gopuram (temple tower).
The oorchavar (smaller deity) is installed inside temple premises for public.

What puzzled me was the renovation activities being performed. The renovation was not restoration, but re-painting and even remodelling at some places!!!


* The dolls in the temple gopuram were being painted using normal paints we paint on our walls

* Brick walls were being built on temple wall abutting the actual stone walls

* Bad, outside the temple a big shed erected for some stupid purpose hiding the entire beauty of temple front and gopuram

* Worse, a Gitacharyan rendering in form of sculpture with bright blue, yellow and red colours, modelled on basis of usual Gitopadesam calendar photos you see everywhere. Though its a good work, it in now way contributes to history of the temple and deity.

* Sri Parthasarathy came to rest after Mahabharat war in this place and has a temple here. So, Gitopadesam is not relevant here.

* More over, God came here to rest after war to get some peace, but the sculpture takes away the very meaning of this.

* AND LASTLY, Sri Parthasarathy Swami Temple is the only place where the Lord is seen with a moustache...contrast it with Gitopadesam sculpture in front of temple!


Why aren't these temples seen as heritage sites and restoration done, instead of re-modelling???

These beauties modelled using old stones existed for so many years, why now such colorful 'Asian Paints' type of coloring and change the whole vibration of the temple and the spiritual importance of the temple?

This is not the case with Sri Parthasarathy Temple. The same fate has happened to Sri Trivikaramaswamy temple at Tirukoilur also. I do not know of other temples where such blunders, without even realizing, are happening.

But, unperturbed by all this, Lord smiles at all including me, them, the so-called atheists and everyone else, silently implying,


                  Sambhavaami Yugay Yugay


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