Koothankulam Mahadeva Temple, Kerala is on the verge of collapse needs urgent conservation

Koothankulam Mahadeva temple bennykuriakose.com

Above image: The Koothankulam Mahadeva temple, Ernakulam district: This humble-looking temple with eye catching wooden work is a victim of long- drawn legal battle between the state government agency and a private trust. Though the govt. agency won the litigation, this temple is still rotting due to official apathy and neglect. Look at the growth of mildew on the tiled portion of one of the oldest temples in Kerala. ............................

Koothankulam Mahadeva temple.commons.wikimedia.org/

Koothattukulam Municipal town in Taluk of Ernakulam district is about 50 km south east of Kochi City, 17 km to the south of Muvattupuzha and 35 km east of Kottayam. There is an old Hindu temple dedicated to Mahadeva (sree Shiva) which is not in good shape. It is one among the 108 famous Shiva temples of Kerala. It is a rare site to see God Shiva, his consort Parvathi and their sons Subramanian and Ganapati under one roof.

Koothankulam Mahadeva temple facebook

Above image: Koothankulam sree Mahadeva temple front entrance. It has become a ramshackle temple. The 1000 year old shrine is nearly on the verge of collapse. In spite of its poor condition poojas are held regularly in the temple. The Kochi Devaswom Board is managing the temple .............................

Because of prolonged legal battle between the Sivaswom Trust and Travancore Devaswom Board over the control of the temple, this place of worship has been in a dilapidated condition for a long time with damaged roof tiles, wooden frames, doors and carvings on the wall and ceiling, The walls seem to have not seen at least one coat of whitewash in the past several years. In some places on the slanting tiled roof one can see vegetation and thick cover of mildew.

Koothankulam near Ernakulam. keralakerala.com

It is so bad today this shrine is on the verge of total collapse from which redemption is impossible. The central government and the Devaswom have allocated funds for renovation. That why does the temple stand abandoned is the question people here are asking. The natives of this place do not want to see the destruction of this rare temple right under their very nose because of ego clash between two warring sides.

A few days ago I read an article by Benny Kuriakose Associates who way back in 2011 made a proposal to the government to renovate the decaying temple and they also posted several images of various damaged parts of the temples (please see them below).

Upon seeing images of dying Shiva temple I was very much saddened by the fact the people involved in the legal wrangle were more interested in wielding power over the temple than preserving and safeguarding it for the posterity. At stake is the long cherished legacy and ethos of this region. Among the Indian states Kerala is in the forefront to preserve its native arts, culture and architecture. It is quite disappointing that here is an old temple with amazing woodwork, etc that is facing slow death on account of two disagreeable sides who don't want to make a compromise. Though the temple having been taken over by the Devaswom Board in the past as of today there is no semblance of any action linked to basic repairs cleaning the surrounding places and renovation notwithstanding the fact that almost 10 years have gone by since the proposal was made by Benny Kuriakose Associates in 2011.

From several perspectives historical, cultural, architectural and archaeological Shree Mahadeva temple has been an integral part of this place. The impressive timber carvings, inspiring wood work, wooden roof frames and old mural paintings bear testimony to the skilled craftsmen of the past era.

Maharajah Marthanda Varma of Travancore. ndianetzone.com

It is mentioned that King Marthanda Varma (1706-1758), the "founder of Kingdom of Travancore" upon his victory over Vadakkumkur, donated lots of gold to Ettumanoor Temple and granted lands to Vaikom Mahadeva temple. Besides, he undertook the renovation of Sree Mahadeva temple in Koothattukulam. The wood work was done by traditional “thachans” of his period. It is of interest to know Maharajah Marthanda varma took special care and renovated Sree Padmanabhaswami temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

Quite amazing is the way the artisans meticulously carried out the wood work on the ceilings - the ten incarnations of Mahavishnu is a fine piece of wood work. The nicely carved ceiling resembles like a heaven. The carvings of lotus is carefully done and reminds us of Padmanabhan or the lotus bearer himself. The wood used appears to be of high quality and there are no signs of aging or damages as of to day. However, they need to be cleaned and given a fresh coat of special varnish.

It is said the entire intricate wood work of this temple was done under the guidance of master craftsmen. The timber carving of the gable at the entrance gate - Padippura has the look of a small door and is flanked by two Dwarapalakas (sentinels) on both the sides. The carvings here appear to be similar to those in Thiruvattar Adikesava.

The following are damaged part of Koothankulam Mahadeva temple, Kerala:

Photo credit: bennykuriakose.com

Koothankulam Mahadeva temple.bennykuriakose.com

Above image: The Srikovil/garbagriha or sanctum with traditional Kerala style roof covered with Mangalore tiles appears to be circular in shape (Vatta Sreekovil) and it is not well taken care of. The srikovil (sanctum sanctorum) roof is covered with with copper sheets which need repair. The gable has detailed carvings while columns have a shaft and a base. The roof has timber purlins and rafters to support either the Mangalore tiles or the copper sheets. Srikovil is adorned with mural paintings of various hues like red, orange, yellow, green colors, etc. The colors were extracted from vegetables and they look faded because of time factor.

Koothankulam Mahadeva temple.bennykuriakose.com

Above image: Koothankulam Mahadeva temple: Only the skeleton of wooden frame with no roof cover. The teak wood rafters and studs appear to be in good nick highlighting the quality of wood used in the past.

Koothankulam Mahadeva temple .bennykuriakose.com

Above image: Koothankulam Mahadeva temple: The angled roof and the wood frames in the façade appear faded with no fresh coat of varnish. The edges of the front projection show sings of wear and tear. The first floor ventilation and the tiled portion below the window need repair.