I came across this article with the picture of this modern ugly while wall in from of Jain carvings of great archaeological and artistic value.
Why is this wall there? Why was this permitted?
I think the Archaeological Survey and local authorities should get it removed.
Yashwant
=== Kazhugumalai - Jain bas reliefs After the wonder of the Vettuvan kovil, I did not think that I would be further surprised that day. As the others hung around the temple, chatting and laughing excitedly, I got into one of my solitary wandering moods and clambered further up the rock.
An ASI guard sat chewing on a grass, smiled and pointed to a brick structure up the hill. "*Ange mattu poyittu paarunga maa, Jaina murthigal irrukkum*".
Oh, ok, that seemed an interesting thing to check out I thought, and so off I went up the hill. I followed the crude signs that said "Jain carvings" and soon I was much further up, looking down on the hill. I spied the top of the Vettuvan kovil, the fields and farms, but not one eagle.
Kazhugumalai - the abode of eagles, thats where I was, but there wasn't an eagle in sight. I looked up and saw a shikra circling for a while before it lost interest and zoomed off.
A rickety gate past which I stepped and this is what I saw!
I stepped a little closer, crunching through the fallen leaves, and took a closer look through the ficus branches that swept low, growing unhindered and wild up here.
What a sight it was - row upon row of seated monks!
Some of the decorative motifs were beautiful, but it made no sense to me. Why were they all lined up on the wall like this? What were those squiggly, Tamil-looking inscriptions at the bottom saying? Why were there some, more elaborate friezes and what were the stories they were recounting?
So many questions, and Prof Venkatraman was still below at the Vettuvan kovil! They would make their way up here eventually I knew, so I wandered some more.
I was horrified by this ugly white wall hiding some of the bas reliefs behind it.
Maybe its considered graffiti, the better to hide? Or maybe we just have so much around us that we just dont appreciate it?