Bhubaneswar: The core committee of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the iconic Sun Temple at Konark in Puri district on Saturday to review the progress of sand evacuation from the temple’s garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum).
Led by Janhwij Sharma, Additional Director General (Conservation and World Heritage), ASI, the team examined the 13th-century UNESCO World Heritage Site from various angles for nearly six hours. A technical team accompanied the committee during the inspection.
Following the on-site assessment, the core committee, technical experts, and local officials convened a meeting at the temple premises. Discussions focused on the structural stability of the monument, ensuring safety during the sand removal process, sources revealed.
This visit follows an earlier inspection by a six-member ASI team on September 18 to assess the sand evacuation project. The process officially commenced on September 8, 2022, with a groundbreaking ceremony, more than two years after the decision was made during a national conference on the conservation of the Sun Temple in February 2020. The proposal had been approved in the presence of the then Union Culture Minister.
The ASI aims to complete the sand removal within three years and has entrusted the project to BDR Construction Pvt. Ltd. The Sun Temple, also known as the “Black Pagoda,” stands as Odisha’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, making its preservation a matter of national significance.
