Source: THE HINDU-14th February,2020
Experts’ meet to discuss restoration of Sun temple
Archaeologists, engineers to review safety of 800-year-old structure in Konark
A plan to restore and preserve the nearly 800year-old Konark Sun
temple in Odisha would be drawn up soon, after a two-day conference of experts
at the end of the month, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said.
The 13th century temple, a UNESCO
World Heritage Site, had been filled with sand and sealed by the British
authorities in 1903 to stabilise the structure, an Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) official said.
A scientific study was carried out by
the Roorkeebased Central Building Research Institute from 2013 till 2018 to
ascertain the temple’s structural stability as well as the status of the
filled-in sand, the official said.
Structure stable
The official said the study found
that the sand filled in more than 100 years ago had settled, leading to a gap
of about 17 feet.
The official, however, added that the
structure was found to be stable.
The ASI was in the process of
removing the scaffolding erected around the temple for the study, the official
said, adding that it would be taken down by the end of the month.
Among the potential choices before
the government would be to fill in more sand or to remove all the sand and put
in place alternate support for the structure, sources in the Ministry of
Culture said.
Taking stock
Mr. Patel had visited the temple on
January 24 to review the preservation plans, a Ministry statement had said.
Speaking to The Hindu, the Minister
said the conference of experts, including archaeologists and engineers, would
be held in Odisha on February 28 and 29 to take a call on the future
restoration plan.
“A decision will be taken after the
conference,” Mr. Patel added.
