Express press service
BHUBANESWAR: One hundred and nineteen years after being sealed off by the British, the sand from the imposing Jagamohan of the 13th century Sun Temple at Konark will finally be evacuated. The process began on Thursday with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) beginning construction of a mechanical working platform on the western side of the structure to facilitate sand removal.
The massive and sturdy working platform will rise above the “Antarala”, which is a vestibule in the form of an intermediate chamber connecting the “garbhagruha” with the “mandapa” of the temple. It’s going to be a long process. According to ASI sources, the entire sand removal project could take at least three years. The British took three years – from 1901 to 1903 – to fill Jagamohan with sand, the volume of which is still unknown.
Construction of the mechanical working platform would take two to three months. Subsequently, the stone removal process on Antarala from the western side of the temple will begin in January next year. The stones will be removed for the manual creation of a 6ft X 5ft hole/tunnel where the British originally put sand inside the monument, Arun Malik told the New Indian Express.
“Before that, we will put in place a system to monitor the condition of the structure of the monument to check the vibrations and the inclination. Subsequently, two core drillings will be carried out at the point which the British used to backfill the sand. and another deep in Antarala. This will help us understand the internal masonry and create a tunnel in the structure,” he said.
Earlier in the day, a groundbreaking ceremony was conducted by ASI officials at the temple premises – Odisha’s only World Heritage Site. Malik informed that the extent of the sand inside the Jagamohan is currently up to 19.8 meters (64.9 ft) from the bottom of the 39.6 meter (130 ft) high monument and that the sand s is dropped 5.8 meters (19 feet) from the top.
The window will be created 5 to 7 feet below the point where the top sand has settled. In the first phase, the sand will be removed from this point to create an internal concrete platform which will be supported by props from the internal cavity. “It will be retrofitted and then using traditional conservation methods we will remove the platform and slowly descend,” he added.
Regarding the structural safety of the ancient monument, Malik informed that the Roorkee-based Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) conducted studies which ensured that the structure is safe enough for this job.
The decision was hailed by several heritage advocates. Earlier, in a chat with Express, Anil Dey, author of “The Sun Temple of Konark” and an ardent temple watcher, said that the huge pile of sand inside Jagamohan is settling, creating a huge horizontal pressure and other complications.
INTACH state official AB Tripathy said the heritage watchdog has been demanding the removal of sand from the Jagamohan for more than a decade now. “This is the best news from Indian archeology in general and Odisha in particular. Over the past three decades, many international experts have suggested sand removal,” he said. According to the CBRI’s estimate, the mass of the Jagamohan at the top of the basement level would be 46,000 tons.
BHUBANESWAR: One hundred and nineteen years after being sealed off by the British, the sand from the imposing Jagamohan of the 13th century Sun Temple at Konark will finally be evacuated. The process began on Thursday with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) beginning construction of a mechanical working platform on the western side of the structure to facilitate sand removal. The massive and sturdy working platform will rise above the “Antarala”, which is a vestibule in the form of an intermediate chamber connecting the “garbhagruha” with the “mandapa” of the temple. It’s going to be a long process. According to ASI sources, the entire sand removal project could take at least three years. The British took three years – from 1901 to 1903 – to fill Jagamohan with sand, the volume of which is still unknown. Construction of the mechanical working platform would take two to three months. Subsequently, the stone removal process on Antarala from the western side of the temple will begin in January next year. The stones will be removed for the manual creation of a 6ft X 5ft hole/tunnel where the British originally put sand inside the monument, Arun Malik told the New Indian Express. “Before that, we will put in place a system to monitor the condition of the structure of the monument to check the vibrations and the inclination. Subsequently, two core drillings will be carried out at the point which the British used to backfill the sand. and another deep in Antarala. This will help us understand the internal masonry and create a tunnel in the structure,” he said. Earlier in the day, a groundbreaking ceremony was held. conducted by ASI officials at the premises of the temple – Odisha’s only World Heritage site. Malik informed that the extent of sand inside the Jagamohan is currently up to 19.8 meters (64 .9 feet) from the bottom of the 39.6 meter (130 foot) high monument and that the sand has settled 5.8 meters (19 feet) from the top.The window will be created 5 to 7 feet below the point where the top sand has been deposited.In the first phase, the sand will be removed from this point to create an internal platform concrete which will be supported by props of the internal cavity. “It will be retrofitted and then using traditional conservation methods we will remove the platform and slowly descend,” he added. Regarding the structural safety of the ancient monument, Malik informed that the Roorkee-based Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) conducted studies which ensured that the structure is safe enough for this job. The decision was hailed by several heritage advocates. Earlier, in a chat with Express, Anil Dey, author of “The Sun Temple of Konark” and an ardent temple watcher, said that the huge pile of sand inside Jagamohan is settling, creating a huge horizontal pressure and other complications. INTACH state official AB Tripathy said the heritage watchdog has been demanding the removal of sand from the Jagamohan for more than a decade now. “This is the best news from Indian archeology in general and Odisha in particular. Over the past three decades, many international experts have suggested sand removal,” he said. According to the CBRI’s estimate, the mass of the Jagamohan at the top of the basement level would be 46,000 tons.
