Thiruvananthapuram: Efforts are on to reclaim an elephant rock sculpture in front of the famed Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram.
Several rounds of road tarring works had literally buried this elephant sculpture.
A team of archaeological experts visited the spot earlier this week.
This sculpture was installed during the reign of Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma. Regarded as a saviour of the land, the sculpture was placed facing the temple idol.
However, development works during the modern era had begun to threaten its very existence.
Authorities plan to carry out restoration works and ensure that even the foot of the sculpture is properly visible. As part of this, soil on all four sides of the sculpture is being removed. Tiles would be laid around it and a railing too would be fitted on the edges. Facilities will also be made to prevent water logging. Based on the instructions of temple executive officer V Ratheesh, manager B Sreekumar is supervising the restoration works.
Demands have been raised to protect the sculpture as a heritage monument. During the Operation Anantha, which aims to reduce the threat of floods, an attempt was made to relocate the sculpture but the plan was dropped after protests were raised.
