Last Updated:
Konark Sun Temple: The hall of Konark Sun Temple is being opened by ASI for 122 years. ASI will do the repair work by removing its sand. Later, tourists will be able to go inside, but worship will not be allowed.
Konark Sun Temple is a famous 13th century Hindu temple located near Puri, Odisha. The huge stone-roofed main hall or pavilion of this temple has been closed for about 122 years. At the end of the 19th century, cracks had appeared in the walls and roof of the temple and the British feared that it might collapse. The temple authorities and the British rule believed that by filling the inside with sand, the weight of the upper part of the temple would be balanced from inside and it would remain safe. So they closed all four entrances and filled them with sand. So that there is no pressure on the internal structure and it remains stable. It was necessary to save this ancient structure built without cement. This was a temporary measure which was never removed. Now the process of opening and renovating it is going on by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
what is the name of this hall
Konark Sun Temple is located on the banks of the Bay of Bengal in Puri district of Odisha. The closed part of the temple is called Natyashala (Dance Pavilion or Jagmohan). This is an important part of the main temple. This pavilion is 128 feet high and was originally built for theatrical performances. Sometimes it is also called the main pavilion or the part connected to the sanctum sanctorum, but mainly it is called Natyashala. The idol of Sun God was installed here. This temple was once a center of ritual, astronomy and royal power. Centuries of cyclones, salt-laden winds, sand drift and coastal moisture associated with climate change have weakened it. Therefore, in 1903, the British closed the structure by filling it with sand and stones to prevent it from getting damaged.
First hole made in the western wall
According to a TOI report, this weekend, ASI and Archaeological Survey of India engineers have started drilling a narrow hole in the western wall of the pavilion i.e. Jagamohan. The drilling is a decisive step in a long-running plan to remove sand and expose how much years of hidden moisture and pressure may have caused damage to one of India’s most famous sacred architectural masterpieces. First of all a hole is being made in the western wall. This is the same place where British engineers once poured sand into the crumbling hall on the orders of the then Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, Sir John Woodburn.
Who deserves the credit for this initiative?
The credit for this initiative goes to the then Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel. It was on his instructions that an agency was entrusted with the responsibility of assessing the internal damage. During that period the ASI built a special platform, which was designed by experts to remove sand without destabilizing the monument. According to TOI, an ASI official said that in the current phase, core drilling is being done to test the hidden strength of the wall before starting large-scale excavation. “The next step will be to create a pocket or structure through which a tunnel will be dug to extract the sand. This is an initial assessment of the wall as there are no records available about its condition and stability,” the official said.
An attempt was made 70 years ago also
This campaign rekindles the fear that first emerged nearly 70 years ago. According to TOI, in the mid-1950s, Dr. Debala Mitra, former Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, had conducted the investigation inside the sealed hall. Their studies revealed that the interior of the closed hall had become covered with moss due to constant moisture from seeping rainwater. He had said that this moisture was accelerating the decomposition of the Khondalite stone that forms the backbone of the monument. Those warnings were confirmed when the structure was examined by the Roorkee-based Central Building Research Institute in 2019.
Emphasis on strengthening the structure
Their report found that the sand inside the hall had sunk about 12 feet and stone blocks from the upper part of the hall had already started falling off. After removing the sand and debris, the structure will be strengthened with stainless steel, iron rods and chemical injections. So that the 128 feet high structure remains stable. This work will continue till 2026, in which the damage was assessed through laser scanning and 3D mapping.
Will be able to go inside, but worship is not allowed
After the work is completed, the doors will be opened and tourists will be able to enter inside. But there will be no worship because it is now a memorial. Some people believe that worship was never performed in the temple, but this is wrong. Worship took place in this temple for about 300 years and it closed around 1628 when the idol of the Sun God was moved to the Jagannath temple. Under the supervision of ASI and Odisha Government, it is being ensured that the ancient architecture remains safe.
