1ST NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TANGIBLE & INTANGIBLE

ASPECTS OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT(NCTIABE’19)

RETROFITTING OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS

Anishma.A1, Abisekha.A2, Balakaleeswaran.S3, Anisha.S4
Final year students(2015-2020)
01 November 2019
SIGMA COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE, KANYAKUMARI (DT)
 RECOVER THE PAST
“Past is Dead and the future is where resources and energy should be invested”.
Is it so?.

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RETROFITTING OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS

India is a country which have more number of architectural and heritage

monuments and secular buildings. Heritage buildings helps to identify
the character and distinctiveness to an area, which helps to creating a
“sense of place” for a community.
Culture heritage is a mirror of our traditions. Heritage buildings play a
major role in protecting the environment, creating communities and it
also reflects the culture identity of our communities.
Climate change causes more structural damage to the building, which
leads to collapse of entire building structure. Buildings retrofitting helps
to solve the current problems in the building and energy reduction.
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 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA
-Thirunanthikarai Nanthishwaran Temple

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 OBJECTIVES

• To study and understand about the retrofitting process in the heritage

building.
• To study about the impact of modern building materials usage in
heritage sites.
• To convey and suggest a better way for preserving the heritage
building monuments.
• To preserve the heritage building.

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INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE TEMPLE

• Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva

• Located at Thirunanthikarai in Kanyakumari District of Tamilnadu.
• Fourth Shivalaya temple.
• Built by King Raja raja Chola.
• The place is called Thirunanthikarai in honour of an ascetic named
Veeranandi, who carved the rock cut cave temple.
• Located on the banks of Nandiyaru.

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 Figure: Thirunandhikara Temple
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ARCHITECTURAL STYLE

• Traditional Kerala style of temple architecture.

• Temples resembles a human body
• Use of wood, stone, copper, lime, mud etc.
• Roofs - pointed and covered with copper shinkle sheets
• Main mandapam - surrounded by pillared structure with square plan,
roof covered with ancient terracotta tiles and it consists of kalasham at
the four corners of the roof top.
• Walls - stone masonry with murals.

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 Figure: Kerala style entrance - Poomugham
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ELEMENTS IN THE TEMPLE

The significance of the temple lies in its Nakshatra Mandapam (hall of

stars). There are 27 holes called Ganadwaras representing the 27 star
regions.
• Artha mandapa with ancient Annaiyavillaku- Entrance porch
• Maha mandapa with Nandi shrine at the center
• Pillared mandapa
• Main Garbagriha consists of lord Shiva shrine(The Vimanam(roof) of
the sanctum is conical and tiled.
• Pradakshanapatha -passage around the temple
• Subsidiary shrines-Lord Ganesh, Vishnu, Krishna, Sastha.
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 1.Main entrance
2.Koodi kambam
3.Artha mandapam
4.Annaiyavillaku
5.Pillared mandapam
6.Nandhi shrine mandapa
7.Garbagriha with lord Shiva
8.Pradakshanapatha
9.Subsidinary shrines
10.Theerthakulam
11.Cave temple way
12.Gathering space for committee peoples

Figure: Plan of main temple

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 Figure: Conical sanctum in the main temple Figure: Temple complex (2004)

Figure: Temple complex (2018)

Figure: Main temple
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 Figure: Cave temple
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CAVE TEMPLE

Temple was constructed during 7th-8th centuries by Jains.

• East-West orientation.
• Height :4m
• Steps : 10
• Square sanctum :2.16 m
• Height: 2.17 m .
• Lingam in centre of 0.7m
• Walls and roof are plain.

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 Figure: Plan of Cave temple
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 Figure: Way to cave temple Figure: Way to cave temple

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INSCRIPTIONS IN THE TEMPLE
• About the king Varaguna Pandiya (9th century ACE) and Rajaraja
Chozhan (11th century ACE).
• The cave has four Vattezhuthu inscription found on each sides of
entrances as well as on the pillar.
• Inscription about the conquer of the land.
• The inscription on pillar during 8th century AD records the gift of Ur.
• Wages to drummers, temple servants, Bali offerings, lamp etc.

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 Figure: Inscriptions in the cave temple Figure: Inscriptions in the pillars

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PAINTINGS IN THE TEMPLE

• The interior of the cave and pillars were plastered and painted.
• The paintings of the temple depict the oldest relics of Kerala style of
murals. The painting are done by local Hindu painters.
• The frescos in the temple depict the stories of Ramayana and
Mahabharata.
• The natural pigments and vegetable colours are used in the temple.

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 Figure: Royal figure from Tirunanidakara Figure: Royal figure with his consort from
Sittannavasal

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RETROFITTING PROCESS

First Renovation -2004

• By the Travancore Devasam board department
• Wall structure in the cave temple has been demolished and replaced
• Wooden door by iron door .
• Stone steps to iron steps at the centre.
• It doesn’t create a huge impact.

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 Figure: Ancient Cave temple Entrance Figure: Cave temple Entrance after
Renovation (2004)

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 Second Renovation -2019
• Roof of the garbagriha was replaced with new copper plates
• The lime plaster replaced by modern paint.
• The main entrance get altered .
• The binding materials lime to cement .
• Wooden truss to steel truss.
• Stone flooring to concrete finishing.
• It cause huge impact on the temple to lost its architectural values.

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 Figure: Main entrance of the temple Figure: Renovation of main entrance of the
temple

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 Figure: Usage of Cement as a mortar Figure: Usage of Cement as a mortar

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 Figure: Copper plates used as a roofing Figure: Usage of steel
material

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 Figure: Brick works in between the stone Figure: Cement plastering in between the
pillars stone pillars

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 Figure: Exposed electrical works Figure: Usage of steel

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IMPACTS

• Due the retrofitting process the temple lost its architectural values.
• The use of modern building materials lead to the loss of heritage
valve of the temple .
• So it is very hard to find the history of the temple after few year
by the usage of the modern building materials.

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 CONCLUSION

• The forgoing study portrays that Thirunanthikarai temple is

completely retrofitted in 2019 by using modern building materials.
• By this we concluded that the retrofitting has be done to protect the
temple in such a way that it should not damage the existing artistic
embellishments founds in a temple.

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REFERENCES

http://krishnasepages.blogspot.com/2010/09/thirunanthikarai.html
http://www.heritageuniversityofkerala.com/JournalPDF/Volume4/9.pdf
https://www.google.com/search?q=thirunanthikarai+cave+temple&rlz=1C1DFOC_enIN696IN696&s
xsrf=ACYBGNScFRIW7fOTI-EsQxhnfGvNifpmXw:1570666332457&source=lnms&tbm=isch&s
http://know-your-heritage.blogspot.com/2016/10/thirunanthikarai-cave-temple.html
https://www.makemytrip.com/travel-guide/kanyakumari/thirunanthikarai-cave-temple-religious.html
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1FGUR_enIN843IN843&sxsrf=ACYBGNSjmch3_h6m0aiZ
85ka1N5mfZ2C3g:1572191691310&q=research+paper+about+thirunanthikarai+temple&tbm=isch&
source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqzp265rzlAhUm63MBHQxWC78QsAR6BAgJEAE#imgdii=R
V4U_P297Q1AEM:&imgrc=H4reqUb4Mhm0wM:
https://www.google.com/search?q=research+paper+about+thirunanthikarai+cave+temple&rlz=1C1F
GUR_enIN843IN843&sxsrf=ACYBGNT7mdgfM1pDGZe2T62oh2O3rgkztw:1572193164211&sour
ce=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjRvcj467zlAhWHXCsKHUIzBTEQ_AUIEigB&biw=16
00&bih=789
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THANK YOU