Puri: A six-member team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) assessed the sand removal from the ‘garbhagriha’ (sanctum sanctorum) of the 13th-century Konark Sun Temple on Wednesday.
Led by ASI ADG Janhwij Sharma, the team reviewed the ongoing preservation efforts at this UNESCO World Heritage Site. ADG Sharma, speaking to OTV, described the visit as a routine check, stating, “It’s a world heritage monument, and we conduct inspections periodically.”
The sand extraction from the temple’s Jagamohan (Assembly Hall) commenced in January 2023. Initially, a construction company appointed by the ASI constructed a lifting platform and installed scaffolds with cranes, but the work was suspended for unspecified reasons and resumed six months later in August 2023.
The construction of the mechanical working platform on the northwest and southwest sides, along with the iron structure and ladder for access to the first ‘pidha’, is complete. However, the sand removal has been temporarily stopped. The goal is to finish the sand removal within three years.
A tunnel of four by five feet is planned on the second ‘pidha’ of the western gate to facilitate the sand’s removal. This tunnel will be used to extract the sand and debris, with the ASI overseeing the entire operation. Historically, the British filled the Jagamohan with sand and sealed it in 1903 to prevent the structure from collapsing.
