Murlidhar Mandir: Struggling for survival from assault of time

By Maitrayee Sangitrao

Heritage, History, and Heredity together reflect an emotion that runs its course through every generation and keeps reminding the human society of its past with every pulse. Religion also runs a similar course. Out of devotion to this stream of consciousness, a small community of devotees has committed itself to preserving the beautiful Murlidhar Mandir at the historic grounds of Sonegaon. Sadly, the temple has become an example of a monument sandwiched between neglect towards conservation, and efforts of maintenance.

Murlidhar Mandir is, perhaps, the only structure that has remained intact, thanks to the efforts of a small community of devotees who gather at the beautiful, yet haphazardly maintained, temple at Sonegaon. Every day, the devotees commit to maintaining the temple grounds. Their devotion is proving to be the cement that has prevented the cracks of time to widen. As one walks across the street in Sonegaon to the direction of the airport, one realises how the temple stands out from the rest of the precinct.

The temple was supposedly built 200 years ago, but specific records in this regard are not available. According to a report submitted by Architectural Sankul and INTACH, entire precinct was developed by Sena Saheb Subha Shrimant Raje Raghuji II, also known as the architect of Bhonsle dynasty between 1786-1788. Later, in 1830, Raghuji Raje III converted the precinct into a cantonment. Amidst the refreshing green lush of the present and haunting broken remnants of the past, the temple remains as the only reflection of a time locked in the moments of the glorious past revived only to be lost again in the future.

However, that is only one part of the story. When ‘The Hitavada’ approached the devotees visiting the temple and taking its care in their own way, they were hesitant to speak. Gradually, they spoke but feared that the authority concerned might lock the temple, not to revive it but to consign it waiting for the day it would naturally collapse and vanish. Till a few years ago, the temple was inaccessible, surrounded by pits and potholes. The temple door was locked. One could not even think of stepping inside the area. After joining hands with like-minded people, some of the devotees managed to revive it. As one devotee, preferring to be anonymous, stressed, it had been a hard process. “As it appears, the authorities, the people of city don’t seem to care; and the person who owns the place surely does not care enough to preserve it. However, this is not just a heritage monument, this is our God’s home. It does not belong to one person, or an authority. It belongs to the devotees. We have taken it upon ourselves to maintain it and it is purely out of devotion,” the devotee said.

The beautiful edifice of the temple, the carving on the sandstone represent the rich culture -- of perfection, of aesthetics, of devotion that flourished in this city. Amidst the beautiful precinct of Sonegaon and the dilapidated structures that once existed, the temple is one remaining reminder of the past, a period that still remains difficult to decipher because of the very few resources.

Thanks to the consciousness of these few men, the temple was revived to a resonably good state. However, the structure needs more than that. The outer column of the ‘Sabha Mandap’ is broken, resulting in unequal distribution of weight of the roof, causing it to tilt to one side. The columns and the arches supporting the gorgeous edifice of the temple are cracked. There are plants growing out of the sandstone faultlines. However, by cleaning the structure regularly, the community has taken care of it to some extent.

But, doing a good cleaning job alone is not going to help much. It needs more than maintenance. It needs the attention of professionals in the field. The community has attempted to preserve the structure in the ways it thought were the best and affordable. Due to lack of access to resources and correct knowhow, the wooden columns have been painted, ruining the aesthetics as well as the material. It was important to use ‘breathing’ surface material for the wood to survive. The work of these devotees is absolutely commendable! A few years ago, the devotees did not have access to electricity in this area. It has been years since the outer missing column broke, but the amount of money required to do the necessary repair could not be raised.

“The authorities do not show any concern. So, we try to do the best we can. Over the years, we have made the temple accessible to all. We have taken up beautification projects like developing a garden space, a Tulsi ‘bagh’, painting hymns and quotes on the outer wall. And the devotees simply join in purely out of devotion,” they said.

This thread of devotion appears to have made devotess duty-bound. The temple has been preserved by them. With proper maintenance and beautification of the garden, the temple is now accessible and acceptable to anyone who wishes to visit it. However, the fact remains that the temple needs more than just maintenance to revive its original glory. And the natural question that arises is: What are the Heritage Committee and the authorities concerned doing? Murlidhar Mandir needs duty-bound machinery to be devoted to the cause of preservation. When ‘The Hitavada’ tried to get a clearer picture of the issue and contacted the authorities concerned, they claimed that they had no idea about the state of the temple. Some did not even know about the temple! One gets pushed back to Square One.

And, so, ‘The Hitavada’, again records a page in history with half-agony and half-hope.