79 monoliths and a mountain of challenges: reconstructing a Nayak-era wonder

The Veera Vasantharayar Mandapam, which has been rebuilt after it was damaged in a fire on February 2, 2018, at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement The fire-ravaged Veera Vasantharayar Mandapam at the Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai has risen anew, though its reconstruction was fraught with immense challenges.Adjoining the temple’s eastern tower (Kizhakku Gopuram), the hall suffered catastrophic damage in a massive fire on February 2, 2018. Following the disaster, devotee access to the area was restricted, and the decision was made to undertake a complete restoration. Under the AIADMK government, the project was initially planned at an estimated cost of ₹18.10 crore. However, sourcing the right granite stones caused severe delays. Eventually, stones from Pattam village in Rasipuram taluk of Namakkal district were selected. Subsequently, litigation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and procedural hurdles in finalising contracts stalled the project even further.When the DMK came to power in 2021, the budget allocation was revised upward to ₹38.30 crore. The responsibility for sculpting the pillars was entrusted to sthapathi V.P. Velmurugan of Tiruppur, who spoke to The Hindu about the uphill battle the restoration posed. “Even though the contract was finalised early in the DMK regime, the arrival of the stone blocks was delayed. Sculpting work eventually commenced at Koodal Sengulam village near the Madurai airport,” Mr. Velmurugan said.Located adjacent to the eastern tower of the Meenakshi Amman Temple, the Veera Vasantharayar Mandapam was built in 1611 CE by Muthu Veerappa Nayak, the brother of King Thirumalai Nayak. It was constructed after the renowned Thousand Pillar Mandapam. Within this hall, a Nandi facing the Swami (Sundareswarar) shrine is situated inside a stone cistern; this Nandi dates back to the Early Pandya period.The 2018 blaze levelled large sections of the hall. Every pillar in the ruined area was extensively photographed before being dismantled. Out of the 136 pillars in and around the mandapam, 79 have been completely carved anew.Massive projectNeither Mr. Velmurugan nor his team had ever undertaken a project of this magnitude. “Between 2012-13, we built the prakara mandapam at the Uthirakosamangai Mangalanathar Temple, but it was nowhere near this scale,” he said. A crew of around 150 sculptors was mobilised. For most of them, working at this scale was completely unprecedented, leaving the project timeline shrouded in uncertainty at the outset.“We carved a total of 79 new pillars,” Mr. Velmurugan explained. “Each shaft stood 18.6 feet tall, and with capital elements such as the lion motifs added, each finished column reached 29 feet. Sculpting pillars of this scale was an enormous challenge in itself, but the logistical hurdles that followed were just as steep. Finding cranes capable of lifting and erecting massive corner pillars such as the Karnakkal proved exceedingly difficult. Several crane operators inspected the site and walked away. It was only after days of searching that we secured the right heavy-duty cranes to hoist the pillars into place,” he recalled.The reconstructed mandapam was formally inaugurated on August 30. Published - September 05, 2026 11:29 pm IST