The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has begun restoration work at the ancient Janardhana and Vishnu temples at Punchavayal, near Panamaram, in Wayanad district.
Then Union Minister V. Narayanasamy had announced in the Lok Sabha in 2009 that the Centre would declare the Vishnu Temple (Vishnugudi) and the Janardhana Temple (Janardhanagudi), located at a distance of nearly 700 metres from one another, as national monuments. But the ASI made the declaration only in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
A portion of the ‘Gopuram’ of the Janardhana Temple had collapsed in rain in 2014, and sculptures on the stone walls were destroyed.
However, the authorities have started renovation work by numbering the huge stones at the Janardhana temple, prior to dismantling the structure. The numbering of stones above the foundation of the temple has been completed after documenting each stone, P.V. Shaju, Junior Conservation Assistant, ASI, told The Hindu. The next step is dismantling the structure, and it will be completed in a month, he added.
The renovation work will be completed in a year, and lime surkhi concrete will be used for the restoration, he said. The restoration of the Vishnu Temple will begin only after completing work at the Janardhana Temple, Mr. Shaju informed.
The style of sculptures and a stone edict on a wall of the Janardhana Temple in old Kannada script show that the temples might have been built during the reign of the Hoysala or Vijayanagara dynasties in the Deccan plateau from the 12th to 14th centuries.
Nearly 300 intricate carvings on the huge stone pillars, including the sculpture of a fishing man, a primitive war scene featuring tuskers, a stone edict in old Kannada script, figures of Jain deities, and sculptures of the ‘Dashavathara’ are the major attractions at the temples.
