Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today), Sept 18: On Wednesday, a six-member team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha, 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.
ASI team inspects sand removal progress at Konark’s Sun Temple
