Heritage activists on Wednesday criticised the move by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments to cover the mural paintings inside the Putridam Kondan Sannidhi in Tiruvarur by using wooden frames and glass panes. "This is a kind of renovation without any vision. Even a small vibration can create harm to the ancient paintings.
The cover will absorb heat and the paintings will gradually fall off from the ceiling," says J Chandrasekharan of the REACH foundation. Recently, about 50 panels of 17th-century ceiling paintings at the devasiraya mandapam of the nearby Tyagarajaswami temple were restored by an INTACH ( Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) team.