Centuries-old murals at Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple restored to their old glory
Centuries-old murals at Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple have been restored after a year-long conservation effort.
Centuries-old murals at Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple have been restored after a year-long conservation effort.
Centuries-old murals at Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple have been restored after a year-long conservation effort.
Ettumanoor: After a year-long conservation effort, the centuries-old murals of Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple have been restored to their full splendour, offering devotees and art lovers alike a glimpse into the temple’s artistic heritage.
With the conservation project concluding on Monday, a formal dedication of the restored artworks was held on Tuesday at 9 am, officiated by Minister V N Vasavan. Travancore Devaswom Board President K Jayakumar presided over.
Believed to have been created in the 16th century, the murals had been on the verge of deterioration due to age and lack of preservation. The conservation work was led by Kadammanitta Sreekuttan, senior artist at Vasthuvidhya Gurukulam, with assistance from mural artists Mannadi Abhilash Kumar and Aranmula Jayakrishnan. The project was carried out under the supervision of Dr Velayudhan Nair, former Director of the National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC).
Three-phase conservation process
The murals are located on the walls of the temple tower (gopuram), on both inner and outer walls along the southern and northern sides. Notable paintings among these include Ananthasayanam, Pradosha Nritham, and Kaliyamardhanam. The conservation process was carried out in three phases.
In the first phase, attention was given to the Ananthasayanam mural on the inner wall of the tower near its entrance, spanning 142 square feet. The second phase addressed Pradosha Nritham and Vetta Shasthav. The third phase included Aghoramurthi, Vastrapaharanam, Venugopalam, two Dwarapalakas and Viralipattu, covering a total area of 425 square feet.
Annual festival begins on Feb 18, Ezharaponnana on 25th
The annual festival at Mahadeva Temple will begin with the flag hoisting ceremony at 8.30 am on February 18. The famed ritual of Ezharaponnana darshan will be held on the night of February 25. Festivities will continue with the Pallivetta ritual on the 26th and the Aarattu procession on February 27.
The flag hoisting day will feature a performance by singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi, while a performance by M G Sreekumar is scheduled for February 26. On the day of the Ezharaponnana ritual, film star Navya Nair will perform a dance recital.
A review meeting was held at 9.30 am on Tuesday at the Kailas Auditorium, chaired by Minister V N Vasavan. TDB President K Jayakumar and other officials were in attendance.