ChennaiOnline.com
THANJAVUR, INDIA, December 31, 2005: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is to open an interpretation center at the Tanjavur Braghadeeswarar temple where life-size photographic reproductions of the 1,000-year-old Chola Period murals, drawn in the temple, will be displayed. The center will be inaugurated during the Pongal festival in January. According to ASI officials, the reproduction was a demanding task as the paintings were so old. The paintings were discovered in the 1930s. Nayak paintings were found over the Chola painting. The ASI experts carefully detached the layer of the Nayak paintings without damaging them, P. S. Sriraman, Assistant Superintendent of ASI said. The Chola murals were photographed in small frames and joined to make one big frame. The paintings, depicted Tripurantaka, Nataraja and the story of Sundarar. The objective of reproduction was to make people, especially pilgrims and tourists understand the paintings and the stories behind them. The murals were kept in places where there was not much light, and visitors could not enjoy their full beauty The murals were in the first floor of the temple, and around the sanctum sanctorum.