Nirmala Sitharaman backs plea for a bypass at Gangaikondacholapuram, writes to Gadkari

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has requested her Cabinet colleague and Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to consider a plea from Gangaikondacholapuram residents seeking a bypass around the ancient Sri Brihadeeswarar Temple to avert possible damage to the world heritage monument due to the development of a highway

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has requested her Cabinet colleague and Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari to consider a plea from Gangaikondacholapuram residents seeking a bypass to divert traffic from the ancient Sri Brihadeeswarar Temple.

The Gangaikondacholapuram Development Council Trust, comprising heritage enthusiasts and local residents, has long been pressing for providing a bypass to protect the monument from possible damage due to the development of the Tiruchi-Chidambaram National Highway, which runs close to the temple, by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The 134-km-long highway is being widened in three packages covering Tiruchi-Kallagam, Kallagam-Meensuritti and Meensuritti-Chidambaram stretches.

In a recent representation to her, R. Komagan, Chairman, GKC Trust, had said that the highway passes alongside the Brihadeeswarar Temple, a world heritage site under the maintenance of the Archaeological Survey of India. Gangaikondochalpuram and the temple were built by King Rajendra Chola I (1012-1044 CE) after his victorious expedition up to the Gangetic plains. It is a living temple with a huge Siva lingam and is a national pride. But the temple was endangered now due to the development of the highway. Besides the damage caused by the carbon emissions settling on the temple statues and inscriptions, the vibrations due to heavy vehicle movement could affect the stability of the structure, he said.

Ms. Sitharaman, in a letter (a copy of which was marked to the Trust) to Mr. Gadkari, pointed out that the 11th century Shiva temple was revered by Hindus and was being visited by thousands of people. The British had built a road close to the temple to carry stones dismantled by them from this temple and its inner and outer prakaram in 1832. The road is now under the NHAI and archaeologists consider the road as an inner second prakaram of the temple.

Being a national highway, a large number of heavy transport vehicles ply on this road. It has been observed that the air pollution caused by these vehicles is badly affecting the inscriptions and the vibrations endanger the structural stability of this heritage monument, because the entire temple was constructed with inter-linking joints without binding mortar.

The road is being widened adjacent to the temple. “After completion of this work, the road will attract more vehicular traffic leading to more pollution and harm to this old Shiva temple,” she said.

The trust had made a representation seeking realignment of the road suggesting an alternative of building a bypass. Their representation may be examined and considered, Ms. Sitharaman said.