PIL: Yanaimalai ‘sculpture park’ feasibility study panel restrained

A public interest litigation petition at the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday restrained a high-level committee, constituted by the State government to consider the possibility of creating a Sculpture Park by carving the Yanaimalai near Madurai from causing any damage to the hillock.

The PIL petition challenging the constitution of the committee headed by Commissioner of Archaeology Department, when it came up before Justices Prabha Sridevan and B. Rajendran, they passed the interim orders, saying not even rock samples be taken from the hillock without obtaining permission from the court.

Ms. Justice Sridevan said that the court prima facie did not find any reason for altering the Yanaimalai, which derived the name from its resemblance to an elephant in squatting posture. “We think that the particular rock formation itself is unique. It is a record of history of evolution,” she said.

The judges also ordered notices to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, Archaeological Survey of India, State government represented by the Tourism Secretary, Madurai Collector, Yanaimalai Othakadai panchayat president and a few other officials returnable in four weeks.

Mahaboob Batcha, managing trustee of the Society for Community Organisation (SOCO) Trust, a voluntary organisation in Madurai, filed the PIL petition. He sought a direction to the Union government to acquire the hillock and ensure its proper protection without disturbing its original character.

The petitioner alleged that the plan to crack the hillock would only benefit the “granite lobby.” Already several hills in the district had been razed to exploit granite. He also said those living near Yanaimalai considered the entire hillock to be divine and hence it should not be disturbed.

He said that the hillock, a solid block of gneiss approximately 3 km long and 90 metres tall, resembled the Ayers Rock of Australia, which was being protected without any disturbance by the Australians.

Similarly, the Yanaimalai too needs to be preserved in its original form, the petitioner said and sought to quash a Government Order issued on December 30 constituting the high level committee.

“Immediately after the impugned G.O., the people living nearby are sought to be evicted by unknown persons. The petitioner firmly believes that the entire concept of Sculpture Park would only benefit the granite lobbies. Already several hills were razed to ground to exploit granites, including the Sarkarai Avulia Darga hillock in Keelavazhavu and Muthupatti Jain hillock,” he claimed.

The petitioner claimed that the hillock (Yanaimalai) had been declared as a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
Pointing out the archaeological importance such as a Jain cavern with Bas Relief of Mahavira, Parsuvanath and others, inscription of ancient Tamil Brahmi scripts on the hillock describing it as ‘Ivakunram,’ meaning elephant hill and the Narasinga Perumal temple on the hill with ancient Tamil Vattalethu inscriptions, the petitioner wanted the hillock not be disturbed.

The Special Government Pleader contended that the government had not taken any final decision on creation of the Sculpture Park. The committee was formed only to consider the feasibility of the project. The petitioners’ apprehensions were based on surmises and conjectures.

- Asian Tribune -