Bhubaneswar: A six-member Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team visited the Sun Temple on Wednesday to review the status of sand evacuation from the sanctum sanctorum (‘garbhagriha’) of the 13th-century temple at Kornark in Puri district.
Later, ASI Additional Director General Janhwij Sharma told the media, “It was a routine inspection. The Sun Temple at Konark is a world heritage monument and we conduct inspections from time to time.” The 70-feet-high Jagmohan was filled with sand under the instruction of Lieutenant Governor of Bengal JA Bourdillon in 1903 to prevent it from crumbling. After Independence, the ASI erected working platforms around the temple to examine the stability of Jagamohan (Mukhasala) and check the condition of the sand.
Earlier, the Superintending Archaeologist of ASI (Puri circle), Dibashad Gadnaik had said that they would drill a small hole on the wall of the temple to ascertain the strength of structure. Once the work is completed, they would undertake laser and endoscopy scanning to check the structure again.
The ASI had accepted a proposal to remove sand from inside the Konark Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after an endoscopy study was undertaken through an existing hole at the top of the Amalaka by the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) to examine structural damages in the Jagamohan. The endoscopy study revealed that the sand filling has settled by around 12.5 feet and some stones had dislodged.
