Tiruchi: The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment will take up renovation of granaries at Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, said K. T. Narasimhan, Consultant Archaeologist / Conservationist, HR and CE, Museum and Tourism Departments.

Addressing reporters at the temple on Monday, he referred to the ancient architecture of the five granaries known as the ‘Tirukottaram’ of the temple. The granaries would be renovated in a phased manner.

A vertical excavation at one of the granaries led to the presence of a stone structure and a wooden plank. The plank might have been made of ‘iluppai’ or ‘semmaram’ wood and used to bear the weight of agricultural produce offered by devotees.

The height of the ‘kottaram’ was nine metres and its diameter, six metres. The granaries had been constructed in different periods. It is indicated by the similarity in shape and structure for a set of granaries in the front and another set of two granaries in the rear.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 23, 2013.