A rare painting in ruins

The temple, which is said to belong to the era of the Vijayanagar empire, is now being reconstructed by local residents. The sanctum sanctorum is being reconstructed and all the paintings in the temple have been removed. This rare painting has been gathering dust with the rest of the paintings.

The art of painting on glass was first developed in Europe in the 16th century, and came to India and China in the 18th century. Mixed with the local style, glass painting gained its own unique flavour in our country, pointed out historian Dr Sesha Shastry.

Unlike canvas, painting on glass requires more skill since the painter would have to reverse paint on the rear side of the glass, he added.

“These glass paintings are preserved in several temples in South India including Tanjore. The painting in Someshwara temple is at least 200 years old and the district administration should ensure that it is preserved,” Dr Shastry said.

Chairperson of Dolphin Educational Institutions, Nagaraj, said they were unaware of the historic significance of the paintings.  “Looking at the dismal state of the temple, we collected Rs 4.5 lakh for the its reconstruction. We did not know about the paintings. But we will now ensure that they are preserved,” he added.

When the issue was brought to the notice of Tasildhar Mallikarjun, he too said they were not aware of the paintings and added that they would inform the Archeology department about the paintings.