Thukkachi Abathsahayeswarar Temple Wins Prestigious UNESCO Heritage Award

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The **12th-century** **Abathsahayeswarar Temple** located at **Thukkachi** recently gained international recognition by winning the **UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction (2024)** for outstanding heritage conservation.

The **Abathsahayeswarar Temple** is an ancient **12th-century** Hindu shrine that showcases the architectural skill of the later **Chola** period. It functions as a living historic temple, meaning devotees actively worship there while authorities protect it as a historic monument.
This temple stands in the **Thanjavur district** of **Tamil Nadu**.

The temple has deep ties with later **Chola** rulers, especially **Kulottunga I** and his son **Vikrama Chola**. Emperor **Kulottunga I** originally provided grants to fund the daily singing of sacred **Thevaram** hymns.
Historians view this shrine as unique because it is likely the only major temple constructed entirely during the rule of **Vikrama Chola**, who expanded and rebuilt the earlier structure.
Ancient stone inscriptions found on the walls refer to **Thukkachi** by historical names such as **Thenthirukalathi** and **Vikramacholeeswaram**.

Architects built the main sanctuary in the rare **Kara Kovil** style, which gives the temple building the shape of a wooden processional chariot.
The temple complex houses an idol of **Lord Sarabeshwarar**, which historians regard as one of the oldest surviving stone statues of this deity.
Restoration experts used drone surveys and digital mapping to catalogue every part of the temple. Workers numbered each individual granite block before dismantling and reassembling the structure into its exact original position.
The project combined traditional temple building rules from **Sthapatya Veda** and **Agama Shastra** with modern civil engineering. Traditional temple builders worked directly with professional structural engineers.

This **₹5-crore** restoration project proved so successful that **Tamil Nadu** adopted its methods in the state's official **Manual for Temple Restoration and Conservation**.
Local residents donated money and trained in preservation skills. This created a strong community ownership model that **UNESCO** praised in its official recognition.