Bhubaneswar: A five-member team from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday inspected Shree Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar after a lightning strike damaged temple flag, several CCTV cameras and electrical fittings inside the complex during torrential rain the previous afternoon.
According to sources, the severe bolt resulted in the burning of the pennant atop the11th-century shrine and also damaged several electrical systems, including around 40 CCTV cameras. The bulb in the sanctum sanctorum also exploded under its impact. Temple staff and devotees too experienced mild electric shock. However, no injury was reported in connection with the incident.
Following the ASI inspection, the burnt flag atop the temple was removed and replaced with a new one as per ritual procedure.
The servitors attributed the extensive damage to lack of proper earthing at the 11th-century shrine.
Anil Dhir, convener of Intach’s Bhubaneswar Chapter, blamed it on indiscriminate felling of centuries old trees in the vicinity of the temples during the Ekamrakhestra Beautification Project. “The tress were a natural safety net, many of them would be struck, and the lightning was drawn away from the temples. Presently the area surrounding the Lingaraj temple is bereft of any trees not any tall structure, the temple draws the lightning to its spires due to its sheer height,” he said.
He further noted that many Hindu temples have been installed with lightning protection systems to mitigate the risks associated with lightning strikes. “Two years ago, on July 15 at around 10 am, the temple had been struck by lightning twice. In fact on that morning, six temples had been struck and the Rameswar temple was the most affected. The 9th century temple, built during the early years of the Somavamsi rule, is a marvellous temple of the Kalingan School of Architecture. The temple was already under repairs and an iron scaffolding had been put up on the south face. The strike knocked down the crown, called the Dadhinauti, splitting the rounded carved stone block into smithereens. Several servitors and devotees reportedly sustained minor injuries during the incident. The ASI officials had rushed to the spot replaced the spire with another small dome on the original lines,” Dhir said.
He added that Intach would conduct a study on the lightning strikes in the recent years and publish a report.
The city recorded over 40 mm rainfall between 1 pm and 3 pm and saw massive traffic jams with several arterial roads waterlogged, exposing the poor drainage system.
