Without the 130 pillars of the Kalyanamantapam, the temple, the most famous edifice of the Kakatiya dynasty, will be incomplete.
The structure once used to perform the Kalyanam of the deities was taken down by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), but plans of reconstructing it is proving to be difficult. Out of the 138 columns, only 119 remained in the temple premise for several years.
“We are reconstructing the structure based on the numbers assigned by the ASI to each stone of the mantapam. To replace the missing granite pillars, we have identified similar rocks in the near by hillocks and sculptors are working day and night to complete the work,” said retired Professor M Panduranga Rao of National Institute of Technology, Warangal.
Rao, also the Convener of Intach, is working along with ASI, Associate Professor Ramanamury of NIT and BV Paparao of Kakatiya Heritage Trust to complete the project in two more years. Engineers expressed astonishment over the technique the Kakatiyas used, now termed Sand Box Technology. “They used sand to fortify the foundation. Sand is an excellent load bearing material, so long as it remains inside the four walls,” Prof Rao told Deccan Herald.
Incessant burrowing by animals in the area and the long years have allowed the sand to leak under the Kalyanamantapam and left its foundation weaker, according to experts.
The NIT and ASI team are replicating the Sand Box technology --digging pits and filling it with sand, unlike the present day technique of raft and tiles.
Over the pits come 7 layers of granite which form the “Pradakshana Patha”. The platform is again raised up to six feet and fortified with sand. Granite columns, roof beams and the temple top follow.