ASI to form panel of experts to save Mahabalipuram Temple

Chennai, April 9 (PTI): The Archaeological Survey of India will soon form a panel of experts to recommend effective measures to arrest the deterioration of the 8th century Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, a major tourist attraction.

The temple, located at a site overlooking the Bay of Bengal 50 km south of here, has been subject to the vagaries of salt-laden sea waves and winds that have considerably eroded the superstructure and disfigured its rock carvings.

"Though we have been exploring available avenues to decrease deterioration, we have to find a permanent solution to completely prevent the effect of saline and humid winds on the structure," V Chandra Pandian, deputy superintendent of archaeology chemistry, said.

"We will soon form a committee of archaeological, geological and chemical experts who will make a thorough study and try to formulate the most viable mechanism to prevent the decay."

Institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology in Chennai and Delhi are also coordinating with ASI in research on innovative preservation techniques for ancient structures, including the Shore Temple.

The ASI would continue with conservation measures, including paper pulp treatment and application of stone strengthener and silicone water repellent, at the granite structure, a World Heritage Site and testimony to the architectural excellence of ancient Tamil Nadu.

Built by Pallava king Rajasimha (700-728 AD), the temple is dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu.

A five-storey pyramidal structure that is 60 ft high and 50 ft square at the base, the temple has the quintessential features of Dravidian architecture like the spire, the gopuram or gateway and animal figures.

The ASI, which took over the preservation of the monument in 1900, had built a small wall between the sea and the temple to prevent sea waves, especially during high tides, from lashing the structure, said Sathyabhama Badrinath, superintending archaeologist of Chennai Circle.

It was further strengthened by piling up boulders in 1940. It was in the 1970s that a "groyne wall" was built further away into the sea with boulders piled and packed closely together, she said.

Casuarina trees were planted around to lessen the salt content in sea breezes.

These measures were immensely effective during the December 2004 tsunami, she said.

The giant waves could not enter into the temple as they were blocked by the groyne wall, she pointed out.

"The water encircled the wall and could only sweep in through the southern side, leaving large quantities of slush inside without being able to erase the great artistical excellence," she said.

The ASI, for the past few years, has been trying paper pulp treatment to remove the salt content in the rock structure, said Pandian.

Paper is made into pulp using distilled water and is applied to the surface, which has been cleaned using de- mineralised water. The ASI has a plant here producing 500 litres of de-mineralised water daily for this, he said.

The pulp peels off in a few days after absorbing the salt content from rocks.

This is the most widely used method for such a purpose and has 80 per cent effectiveness, he said.

Moreover, the structure is made of low-grade granite, which contributes to the withering away of particles.

"We are using stone strengthener containing silica to help in the binding of rock particles," he said, adding silicone water repellent is also used in the process.

But the Chennai circle of ASI, which has Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry in its jurisdiction, is faced by inadequacies such as the absence of a research laboratory here.

"Our research laboratory is located at Dehradun and for every test we have to send samples there," Pandian said. This leads to delays and makes research tedious, he noted.