Koraput: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Odisha, has accused the State Archaeology Department of demolishing two ancient temples in the name of renovation in Koraput district.
“Vishnu Temple of Gorahandi and the Jain Temple at Phuphugam, both 45 km from the district headquarters, were lying in a deserted and ruined condition in the middle of agricultural fields. They had been brought to the notice of the district administration to ensure proper conservation. The 6th-century Vishnu Temple belonged to the period when the Nala Dynasty held sway in the region, and was probably built by the Nalas of Pushkari. It was a small temple of the early Kalingan order with a Rekha Vimana,” the INTACH Odisha said in a release.
It further said that a team from INTACH Odisha visited the site on February 26 and found that the old temple had been totally dismantled and its stone blocks scattered in the field. “The entire ancient structure had been dismantled, and the old stone blocks and been chiseled and polished to make a new structure. All the carvings and embellishments of the earlier temple had been totally destroyed. A half-finished square structure that bore no resemblance to the earlier temple was seen. The ancient Chaturbhuja Vishnu image had been removed from the old temple and kept in the open. Except for the two carved door jambs, the entire decorative motifs have been destroyed. The lintel section of the doorjamb with a prominent Gajalaxmi motif is lying abandoned at the site. Many of the old stone blocks have been taken away by the villagers,” it said.
Similarly, Jain Temple of Phuphugam, just three km away from the Vishnu temple too, has a half-finished renovation. This temple too is an early Kalingan order temple which can be dated to the 6th- 7th-century. Jain Tirthankar images are being worshipped as Narayan Mahaprabhu by the villagers for centuries. Here too, the original structure has been dismantled and the stone blocks are lying in disarray. The newer structure has been half completed with the images lying in the open. The temple premises had a single un-deciphered stone inscription panel which is missing now, the members alleged.
According to Deepak Nayak, the conservation work has been done in an unscientific manner by semi-unskilled persons. “No archaeological expert must have visited the place. The dismantling of two of the earliest stone temples is a cultural genocide,” he said.
In fact, he laments bringing attention to these forgotten structures, which had survived for more than 14 centuries only to be destroyed in the name of preserving them.
Sanjib Hota has made a report and is writing to the authorities for the callous manner in which the restoration was done.
Anil Dhir said that no sane archaeologist or heritage expert would demolish the old structures and make a new one at the place. Both the old temples were in a restorable state and could have been conserved in their original form. In fact, the old temples should have been left intact and the newer structures built alongside where the images could have been secured.
Ajit Patro said that INTACH’s Koraput Chapter is soon going to launch a project to document the entire heritage of the district. The rich Jain monuments and early period heritage structures have not been properly listed till date, he added.
Speaking to Odisha Bytes, State Archaeology Department’s superintendent Aswini Kumar Satpathy said that laid-down principles are being followed while renovating these structures. “The Jain Temple had developed cracks and the foundation was crumbling. Since it is small structure, we decided to remove the stone, strengthen its foundation and reset them after dressing. The stones have been properly numbered for the purpose and the temple will be restored to its original shape,” he said.
Some stone, which have withered, would be replace with those available locally, he said.
Satpathy also assured to get back with the details about the Vishnu Temple. “Both the structures will be completely restored in next three to four months,” he added.
