Tiruchi, June 27, 2013: Work on the renovation of the ancient rampart walls of the Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is expected to begin soon with a high-level committee inspecting the site on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, during her recent visit to her constituency, had announced that the ramparts of the temple around the fifth, sixth and seventh prakaras would be renovated at a cost of Rs. 33.18 crore. The damaged portions of the ramparts, running 5,373 metres, would be renovated.

On Wednesday, a high-level team, including R. Kannan, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Culture and Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments; and K.T. Narasimhan, former superintending archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India; P. Dhanapal, HR & CE Commissioner; and Jayashree Muralidharan, District Collector; inspected the ramparts and conducted soil tests.

Mr. Kannan told presspersons that the ramparts would be renovated and restored without affecting their antiquity with expert assistance and guidance. Tests conducted on Wednesday revealed that the foundation of the ramparts was strong enough to withstand the renovation.

Source: The Hindu, DT. June 27, 2013.