A view of the Mottai Gopura Vasal at Aathi Kumbeshwarar Temple in Kumbakonam. | Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
The famed Kumbheshwarar temple, which is over 1,000 years old and is one of the landmarks of Kumbakonam, will soon have a five-tier Rajagopuram on the southern entrance where there is a Mottaigopuram at present.
The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Minister P.K. Sekarbabu said the department has finalised a propal in this regard and it awaits administrative sanction.
The Kalkaram or the foundation of the gopuram made of granite stones is 21 feet and the HR&CE Department, after studying the stability and soil test, has decided to construct five-tier gopuram to a height of 61 feet, reaching a total height of 82 feet. The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchi, which carried out the soil investigation, has declared it safe to build the Rajagopuram. As the stability study was not in favour of seven-tier, it had been decided to restrict the height to five tiers.
The department has decided to go ahead with the construction after the State Level Expert Committee and Regional Level Expert Committee cleared the proposal. The temple has a tallest gopuram on the eastern side and two other gopurams on the western and southern sides.
