Tamil Heritage Trust
Tamil Heritage Trust - "Challenges in Structural Conservation of Temples: Restoration of Sri Abathsahayeswarar Temple, Thukkachi" by Dr Arun Menon
The online Talk in English is at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday, December 6, 2025.
To receive the link for the talk, register
Dr Arun Menon
will take us through the experience of the team in the
conservation of this temple that was in a dilapidated state for over six
decades.
He will also touch upon the ongoing unique conservation project
involving the completion of a seven-tiered incomplete historical
Rajagopuram at Sri Pundarikaksha Perumal Temple in Thiruvellarai near
Samayapuram in Trichy District. These projects highlight the role of
engineering and science in preserving the rich and living cultural
heritage of Tamil Nadu.
The conservation of the 11th c. CE Sri Abathsahayeswarar Temple in
Thukkachi, Tamil Nadu was recently selected for the 2024 UNESCO
Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction for Heritage Conservation among 52
projects received from the Asia-Pacific Region by UNESCO, Bangkok.
IIT Madras and the National Centre for Safety of Heritage Structures
(NCSHS) undertook a pilot structural conservation project for Hindu
Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, Govt. of
Tamil Nadu in 2020, and worked through an interdisciplinary team to
deliver the detailed project report (DPR) in 2022, which was then
executed by Thirunavukarasar Arakkattalai Trust and HR&CE.
Arun Menon, Full Professor of Structural Engineering at IIT
Madras, holds a first degree in architecture, and PhD in earthquake
engineering from University of Pavia, Italy. His research
interests are in structural aspects of historical constructions,
earthquake behaviour of historical masonry structures and
earthquake-resistant modern structural masonry.
He currently coordinates the activities of National Centre for Safety of
Heritage Structures (NCSHS), a Ministry of Education (Govt. of
India)-supported research centre at IIT Madras.
He has been an Expert Member on the International Coordinating Committee
(BICC) for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bagan, Myanmar, and
currently is a Member, Expert Advisory Group to International
Conservation Committee (ICC) for Vat Phou UNESCO World Heritage Site in
Laos PDR. He has been involved in conservation projects in India
(Rashtrapati Bhawan, IIM Ahmedabad, Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Konark Sun
Temple), Bhutan (Tango Monastery, Wangdue Phodrong Dzong), Myanmar
(UNESCO World Heritage Site: Bagan), The Philippines (San Sebastian
Basilica, Manila) and Somalia (The Secondo Lido, Mogadishu).
Arun Menon is also active in national and international technical code
committees such as Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), International Union
of Laboratories and Experts in Construction Materials, Systems and
Structures (RILEM), Paris and ISCARSAH of International Council on
Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS, an advisory body of UNESCO).
Tamil Heritage Trust
tamilheritage.in
tamilheritage.in@gmail.com
youtube.com/@TamilHeritageTrust
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