Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur in TN to soon have sound-and-light show
21st July 2010
The Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu will soon have a sound-and-light show. The plan now is to have two shows each day – one in English and the other in Tamil – and the duration is expected to be about 45 minutes each. According to a report in The Hindu by R. K. Radhakrishnan, after a long struggle and coordinated efforts of the Department of Tourism (DoT), Government of Tamil Nadu and personal interest of KS Sripathi, Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu the decks have finally been cleared for the show.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on July 8, 2010 between the Director General, Archeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, signaling the formal completion of procedures ahead of putting up a show.
The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and built by Rajaraja Chola (985-1012), is a UNESCO recognized world heritage site. Hence, though the state tourism department had thought of the sound and light show around the same time that it introduced the show at the Thirumalai Nayakar Mahal at Madurai, a series of steps needed to be completed ahead of the commencement of the event.
“The temple is a protected monument. So ASI wanted acoustic and light effect studies carried out ahead of giving us permission. The National Physical Laboratory deputed its experts to investigate the effect of induced vibrations due to acoustic music during the sound show at the temple. They also studied the effect of light due to the light show on the monument. The studies conclusively established that there could be no damage to the structure as a result of the show. The sound and light show in Madurai has been a huge draw. In nine months, we have collected about Rs 20 lakh from the show,” added V Irai Anbu, Tourism Secretary, Tamil Nadu.
