A Jain heritage site in T.N. battles the elements

 A Jain heritage site in T.N

With much of the art in Sittanavasal either damaged or vandalised,Archaeological Survey of India has undertaken conservation measures and also introduced digital checks to track public access

A small village in Pu­dukottai district of Tamil Nadu was a major centre of Jain in­fluence for 1,000 years just before the Christian era.

                                                    

Sittanavasal is the name used synonymously for the hamlet and the hillock that houses the Arivar Kovil (temple of Arihats — Jains who conquered their sens­es), Ezhadipattam (a cav­ern with 17 polished rock beds), megalithic burial sites and the Navachunai tarn (small mountain lake) with a submerged shrine.

This Archaeological Sur­vey of India (ASI)­adminis­tered site, popular with youngsters and school ex­cursion groups, is in need of better upkeep.

“Sittanavasal is the only place in Tamil Nadu where we can see Pandya paint­ings. At least three­fourths of the art is already dam­aged, so it is important to protect the site for future generations,” R. Kalaiko­van, founder of the Tiru­chi­based Dr. M. Rajama­nikkanar Centre for Historical Research, told The Hindu.

The artwork on the ceil­ing of the sanctum and the ardha mandapam of Arivar Kovil is an early example of post­Ajanta cave paintings of the fourth to sixth centu­ ries, done using the fresco­secco technique (a process that dispenses with prepa­ration of the wall with wet plaster).

The ceiling paintings show ‘bhavyas’ (exalted souls who work to achieve moksha or spiritual libera­tion) enjoying themselves in a pool, full of lotuses; to­day much of it is obscured by patchy plastering. Faint outlines linger of dancing girls on the ‘ardha manda-pam’ pillars. The pillars of the verandah (added by the Maharaja of Pudukottai in the 1900s), were brought from Kudumiyan­malai. The colours are a mixture of plant dyes and mineral elements such as lime, lamp black, and clay pigments such as ochre for yellow and terre verte for the greyish­green tints.

                                                    

cess and general exposure to theelements have led to a gradual fading away of these paintings. At the Ez­hadipattam, inscriptions have been vandalised beyond recognition.

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CCTV cameras soon

T. Arun Raj, Director, ASI, Tiruchi Circle, told The Hindu that periodic main­tenance by way of repairs and chemical preservation (for restoring paintings) is being undertaken. ASI has introduced elec­tronic ticketing that helps track visitor numbers. “The average footfall is around 200­300 a day. We are planning to increase the number of security guards besides installing closed circuit TV cameras soon,” said Mr. Raj.

“Though there are ma­ny examples of Jain sites in Pudukottai district, Sitta­navasal is more precious because its paintings will be gone in another 50 years. Perhaps recreating them outside in separate pavilions and limiting the shrines for research visits would be a better way to preserve them,” said S. Swaminathan, a Chennai­based history enthusiast and former IIT professor, who has written a book on important heritage spots in Pudukottai.

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