Mute witnesses to a glorious past

The temple town of Melkote could have been a veritable paradise for pilgrims, tourists and archaeologists. But its hoary temples, umpteen number of kalyanis and mantapas present a picture of utter neglect and apathy.

The town, which has a millennium of history behind it, is situated on an elongated ridge with valleys on the two sides. While the impressive Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple in the centre of the town acts as the pivot for pilgrims, the nearly 1,000-year-old Yoganarasimha temple is situated atop a thumb-like outcrop of hills overlooking the town.

These are, of course, principal attractions, but the town is dotted with numerous smaller yet historic monuments which are in an advanced state of disrepair. The Archaeological Survey norms prohibit construction of any building within 100 metres of a monument. But several new and multistoreyed buildings can be seen standing cheek by jowl with the Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple. Down the same road, the picturesque Teppakulam tank, which according to locals, used to have float festivals on important occasions, has turned into an eyesore with clothes being washed on the steps and the moss-ridden putrid waste occupying the corners. The gateway to the tank is dilapidated and the tank is enclosed on three sides from the backyards of the private homes. This has allowed households to conveniently dispose of their garbage into the tank’s periphery rendering it into a garbage bin. The crown (shikhara) of the mantapa in the centre of the tank has collapsed, with its stump still sticking out as a sore thumb.
 
According to Prof. Lakshmithathachar, an old resident, the town had 108 kalyanis some fifty years ago. The Wodeyar rulers had planned them in such a way that each one of them was at a different level on the hilly terrain. Some of them were meant for bathing, others for washing and yet others for irrigation. But today, merely 40 of them can be spotted. These kalyanis were perennially charged water bodies. Some of them have been encroached upon while a few more have dried up.

Prof. Thathachar points out that today the water to the town is pumped from Tonnur tank or what has come to be known as Moti talab, 12 km from the town. The irony cannot be missed. The catchment area for the talab is Yadavagiri Hills on the slopes of which the town is nestled. The authorities could have built a reservoir in the upper reaches of the Yadavagiri Hills and gravitational flow could have ensured water supply to homes without much investment. Today the rain runoff from Melkote flows through two rivulets i.e., Yadava Nadi and Hebballa to the talab, and the same water is supplied to homes by pumping.

Yet another temple known as Sugreeva temple located within the premises of the Government Higher Primary School is a tell-tale picture of neglect. Built in the Hoysala style of architecture, it has turned into an asylum of sorts for urchins and anti-social elements during nights. The huge carved stones rather than being plastered have been set into walls and joined together with metal clamps. A missing slab from the slanted front of the building is proof of the negligence the monument has been subjected to, in the recent past.

An exquisitely planned pond known as Mythreya Teertha at the edge of the town has its own tale to tell. It has a mantapa on one of the banks. It is said that eight such ponds were constructed in the town by various sages who performed penance there. Today, it is used for bathing the padukas (footwear) of the presiding deity of Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple once a year. For the remaining period, it serves as a washing ghat.

Some imaginative steps at conservation could restore many of these monuments and tanks, thereby attracting more pilgrims and tourists to this repository of heritage.