Sun Apr 27 13:52:44 UTC 2025: ## 700-Year-Old Temple in Tamil Nadu Faces Demolition

**Salem, Tamil Nadu –** A 13th-century Shiva temple in Kovilur, Yercaud, is facing imminent demolition by local villagers who plan to replace it with a new structure. Historians have urgently appealed to the Tamil Nadu state government to intervene and prevent the destruction of this historically significant site.

The Vaneeswarar temple, located 17 km from Yercaud, contains four stone inscriptions discovered in 2017. These inscriptions detail the temple’s construction in the 13th century by chieftain Karkadamarayan, providing valuable insights into the region’s history. According to Yercaud B.S. Elango, a historian and writer, the inscriptions are unique to Yercaud and represent a crucial piece of the area’s heritage.

The temple, not under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department or the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has already suffered the theft of panchaloha idols several years ago, though these were later recovered. Aragalur Venkatesan of the Salem Historical Research Centre emphasizes that the demolition violates regulations protecting temples over 100 years old, which require permission from either the ASI or HR&CE Department before demolition. He attributes the villagers’ decision to a lack of awareness of these regulations.

Both the HR&CE Department and ASI have reportedly pledged to investigate the situation. Historians are urging immediate action to prevent the irreversible loss of this important historical landmark.

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