SALEM: One of the two broken spires of a submerged church in the Pannavadi area near Mettur has become visible once again as the water level in the Stanley Reservoir dropped below 77 feet. The 100-foot-tall structure became visible on Tuesday evening, drawing visitors and tourists. Before the commissioning of the Mettur dam in 1934, more than 100 villages lived in the region, with communities engaged in agriculture and livestock rearing. These villages were home to several places of worship, including the Jalakandeswarar Temple, Veerabhadreshwar Temple and St Lourdes Church. “When the dam was built, residents were relocated, and their places of worship were submerged in the Stanley reservoir which gets water from the Cauvery river,” said V Gopal of Pannavadi. The church had twin spires, which were broken over the years being under the water. According to him, the church’s one spire would become visible when the water level dips below 77 feet, while the Jalakandeswarar Temple emerges when the level falls below 70 feet. People took coracle rides to reach near the spire to take photographs.The spire was last visible on July 22, 2024.
