Lightning damages sculpture on Thanjvur Big Temple tower

A sculpture on the tower of the over 1000-year-old Sri Braghadeeswarar temple here suffered minor damage in a lightning strike today, officials said.

The sculpture of 'yazhi', a mythical animal, was damaged slightly and can be set right, they said.

The lightning struck the sculpture despite the installation of an arrester, they added.

The tower of the temple, built by Chola King Raja Raja between 985 AD and 1013 AD, had been constructed in a such a way that its shadow would never fall on the ground.