The dilapidated gopuram of the Somanathar temple at Pazhayarai near Kumbakonam will be renovated by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.
The Somanathar temple is situated on the banks of the Thirumalairajan river, a tributary of the Cauvery.
Decades of neglect has earned it the name, ‘mottai gopuram’.
There is adequate evidence for Pazhayarai to be the capital of the Cholas once.
It existed even in the 5th Century.
Pazhayarai lost its importance with the capital shifted to Thanjavur.
The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchi, has submitted a report after studying the gopuram and the soil around the temple.