Cellar found in 8th-century temple in Tamil Nadu's Srirangam

SRIRANGAM (TN): A cellar measuring 200 sq ft was found inside the eighth century Lord Ranganathaswamy temple here during renovation work, a senior official said on Sunday.

Workers stumbled upon the cellar, measuring 10 ft by 4 ft by 20 ft during the ongoing renovation works at the sprawling complex of the 8th-century AD temple, executive officer and joint commissioner Jayaraman said.

A vestibule-like structure, four feet in width and 20 feet in length, was found by the workers when the wall behind the portrait of Sri Dhanvantri (Lord Vishnu) at Sri Venugopalan sub-temple caved in during the work.

(TOI Photos by R Baskar)

At the end of the vestibule there was a 2 sq ft granite slab which was also removed when the cellar came to light, he said adding that nothing though was found inside the cellar.

According to archeological experts, several temples in the state had similar cellars, which were mainly used to protect the temple articles during the invasion by kings from other countries.

The Vengopalan temple itself was full of beautiful sculptures, built during the Hoysala period in the 8th century AD.

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