Know How ASI Plans To Remove Sand Stuffed Into Konark Sun Temple By The British 119 Years Ago

Bhubaneswar: Hundred and nineteen years later, the process for removing sand from the towering Jagamohan of 13th century Sun Temple at Konark has begun.

According to sources, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which conducted a ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday, is constructing a mechanical working platform on the western side of the structure, which will help in the drilling and transportation of equipment, and debris from the temple. It is taking the help of BDR Construction Pvt Ltd for technical know-how. IIT, Madras, and engineers of the state are being involved in the long drawn-out process, which could take at least three years.

While the mechanical working platform will take two to three months to complete, the process to remove stones over the ‘Antarala’ from the western side of the temple through a 6 ft X 5 ft hole/tunnel manually created at the location where the British had originally put sand will begin in January next year. “The tunnel will be opened from the top of the western side of Jagamohan near the first pidha to create a passage. The aim is to stabilise the structure and we are taking utmost precautions while evacuating the sand,” Superintending Engineer of Bhubaneswar Circle, ASI, Arun Malik told the media.

He further said that a structural health monitoring system will be put up in the monument to check the vibrations and tilt before drilling the tunnel at the point which was used by the British to fill in sand and another at the bottom of the ‘Antarala.’

According to the ASI, sand inside the Jagamohan is filled up to a height of 19.8 metres and there is a gap of 5.8 metres. The window will be created 5 to 7 ft below the point where the sand from the top has settled. An internal concrete platform supported by props from the inner cavity will be erected once sand is removed from this point. The ASI will then remove the platform using traditional conservation methods and slowly go down.

During the last two years since the decision to remove sand from the sanctum sanctorum was taken, the ASI has conducted several studies and surveys, including laser scanning, to get an idea of the structure inside. “The edifice of the 13th century as it now has been studied by experts so far as internal geometry, structural condition and the foundation with the help of modern technical devices. Opinion of experts, including archaeologists, engineers, and architects, has also been obtained through seminars regarding the removal of sand from the inner side of the Jagamohan,” he was quoted as saying.

He further informed that the Roorkee-based Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) has conducted studies which assured that the structure is safe enough for this work.

As per CBRI’s estimation, the mass of the Jagamohan at top of the plinth level would be a humongous 46,000 tonnes.

After removing the sand, structural repair of vulnerable portions would begin. “The repair work can also go simultaneously. After completion of the work, the visitors coming from across the globe to see the beauty of the black pagoda will have a glance of the Jagmohan,” he added.

One of the architectural marvels of the world, the 13th-century monument’s Jagamohan (assembly hall) has remained sealed since 1903 when sand was poured inside by the British government to save it from crumbling. The ASI had accepted a proposal to remove sand from inside the Konark Temple, Odisha’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site, at a national conference on ‘Conservation of Sun Temple’ attended by the then Union Culture Minister in February 2020.

(With inputs from TOI, TNIE and The Telegraph)