Chitoor.com
Rajagopuram of Srikalahasti Temple crashes
May 26, 2010, Chittoor
Services of experts from IIT Chennai requisitioned
The 136-foot of Rajagopuram of the Srikalahasti temple that has been in precarious condition due to a deep fissure along its face crashed on Wednesday with a huge thunder. The 15th Century tower built by Sri Krishnadevaraya to mark his visit to the shrine as part of his triumphant march across his empire is now in complete shambles and the whole area has plunged into darkness. It was not known immediately whether there were causalities in the wake of the crash. Police, temple and other government authorities swung into action for relief and restoration activities.
Meanwhile, the authorities had to order immediate cordoning of the area around the temple. The services of a team of experts from IIT, Chennai had to be requisitioned for a thorough evaluation of all its parameters especially the deep vertical fissure that developed all along the face of the tower. The temple comprising among others, Narasimha Rao, a retired Professor from IIT, Chennai and Ramamohana Rao, a geologist warned the temple authorities that the ancient tower was in such a dangerous position that a cyclone or a power gale was enough to make it crumble.
The temple and civic authorities asked all the residents around the temple to vacate immediately and the 150 metre radius around the dilapidated tower is said to have been declared as a dangerous zone and sealed. According to available sources said that though a thin crack on the gopuram had been existing for the last twenty five years amid ad hoc repairs, it started deepening in recent times particularly of the recent violent cyclone.
News Tools
