Kerala govt to conserve ancient murals at Ettumanoor temple

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has initiated steps to conserve the ancient murals of Mahadeva Temple in Ettumanoor. The Vasthuvidya Gurukulam, Aranmula, is preparing a detailed report following a direction from Cultural Affairs Minister V N Vasavan. Scientific conservation of the ancient murals and establishing a museum to display its replicas would be recommended, said  Gurukulam executive director T R Sadasivan Nair.

A three-member expert committee will be formed to devise a conservation plan. Its proposed members are National Museum Institute former head M Velayudhan Nair, representatives of the Regional Conservation Laboratory, Mysore and the State Archaeology Department.

The project will be funded by the department of cultural affairs. It involves the restoration of the murals and setting up barriers to prevent people from touching the wall. The museum is proposed since visitors cannot conveniently view the original murals. “The important ones are on the inside wall of the temple tower where entry is restricted. Also, they are positioned at a height, depriving visitors of a good sight. At the museum, visitors can enjoy exact reproductions,” said Sadasivan Nair.

He said the DPR will be submitted in a week. In a report published on August 17, TNIE had described the sorry state of the 18th-century murals. The paintings were vandalised by staffers of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and also miscreants. The TDB has installed the electrical control panel just below the ‘Ananthasayanam’ painting, one of the largest murals in Kerala. Electrical conduit is nailed over the painting.  Another painting is the ‘vasthrapaharana’ featuring four gopikas pleading to Lord Krishna to return their clothes. The groin of the gopikas are seen scratched to white by some miscreants.

The Ettumanoor murals attained international fame thanks to European art critic Stella Kramrisch, who described them in two of her books. Nataraja on the southern side of the inner wall is the most outstanding among the paintings, said historian M G Sasibhooshan.