Puri: A seven-member team led by Srimandir Technical Core Committee Chairman and Director of Central Buildings and Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee Prof SK Bhattacharya, and member of the Srimandir Technical Core Committee NC Pal today inspected the cracks spotted in the four capital beams of the Natamandap of the Sri Gundicha Temple.
” Overall it’s okay. There is little distress, we are examining how that can be adjusted and repaired. It’s normal wear considering the period of time. There is no danger. It can be repaired and restored,” said Prof Bhattacharya speaking to reporters outside the Sri Gundicha Temple.
On being asked about how much time it would take for the repair, Prof Bhattacharya maintained that it would not be proper on his part to predict the time frame.
“It might take two to three months. But nothing can be predicted at this point as in repair works things go beyond the predicted path. As work progresses new things develop. There is nothing to worry about, there is no danger,” Prof Bhattacharya explained.
Srimandir Technical Core Committee member NC Pal said that similar to the Natamandap of the Sri Jagannath Temple, the Natamandap of the Sri Gundicha Temple has four stone pillars and four stone beams underneath which there are four wrought iron beams.
” Last year we observed that one of the wrought iron beams had some problems and during Rath Yatra this year we had done some temporary restoration work so that Mahaprabhu’s rituals are not affected. During restoration, we had a feeling that there might be some critical issues. When after Rath Yatra we examined we observed some distress which Prof Bhattacharya has said is critical and not that critical,” said Pal.
He said that Prof Bhattacharya has opined that it can be attended to in a phase-by-phase manner.
“There are issues in the stone, in wrought iron as well. So therefore we will go for repair and restoration using modern technology along with old archaeological concepts so that everything is smoothly completed before the Rath Yatra of Mahaprabhu,” explained NC Pal.
Pal informed that the conservation of Sri Gundicha Temple is done by the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) unlike the Sri Jagannath Temple’s conservation which is done by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
