MADURAI: Brass structures at the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple here will soon sport a new look, thanks to a major round of restoration work that began on Tuesday to bring out the original beauty of these artistic wonders. It is being executed by Chennai-based ‘Gemini’ R. Ramamurthy, who has done restoration work at several temples in the State, including the Sri Ramanathaswamy temple at Rameswaram.
Speaking to *The Hindu*, he said the six-stage restoration work would be carried out on five brass ‘tiruvasis’ (ornamental arches) at the entrance to the ‘sannidhis.’ Water-washing would be done after every stage. The process
In the first stage, a caustic soda solution would be applied to remove dust, followed by sulphuric acid in measured, diluted quantities. This would remove the layers of ghee and oil stains. Then, nitric acid would be applied to remove carbon soot and black dust caused by various factors such as smoke. After this, ‘soapnut’ powder would be applied over the structures to restore the sheen of the metal. This would be followed by the application of a ‘lacquer’ solution and gold-coloured powder. This would ensure that dust did not stick on to the structures for at least six years to come.
K. Rajanayagam, executive officer of the temple, said the work would be done on the ‘tiruvasis’ at Mukkuruni Vinayakar Sannidhi, Utsavar Sannidhi, Amman Sannidhi, Swami Sannidhi and Kasi Viswanathar Sannidhi. Restoration of the ‘tiruvasis,’ which were more than four decades old, was being done by Mr.Ramamurthy free of cost. It would be completed within a month.