Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Sept 18: (Konark Sun Temple) On Wednesday, a six-member team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the Sun Temple in Konark , Odisha (Konark Sun Temple), to assess the progress of sand removal from the ‘garbhagriha’ (sanctum sanctorum) of the 13th-century monument.
Janhwij Sharma, Additional Director General (Conservation and World Heritage) and leader of the ASI team, described the visit as a routine inspection, emphasizing that the Sun Temple, a world heritage site, undergoes regular evaluations.
The temple’s 70-foot high Jagmohan was filled with sand in 1903 by Lieutenant Governor of Bengal J.A. Bourdillon to prevent structural damage. Over a century later, the ASI has begun erecting working platforms around the temple to inspect the Jagmohan’s stability and the condition of the sand, which has settled by 15 feet, creating a vacuum at the top.
Superintending Archaeologist Dibashad Gadnaik noted that a small hole would be drilled to assess the structural integrity, followed by laser and endoscopy scans for further evaluation.
The ASI had approved the sand removal proposal during a national conference on the ‘Conservation of the Sun Temple’ in February 2020, attended by the then Union Culture Minister.
