ASI to remove sand from interior of Konark Sun Temple

Published: 4th Jan, 2022

Context

Archaeological Survey of India is working on a preliminary roadmap to safely remove sand from the interiors of Odisha’s Sun Temple’s sealed assembly hall (Jagamohan).

ASI, the custodian of the world heritage site, will be assisted by IIT Madras in the process.

About

Facts about Konark Temple

The name Konark is made of two Sanskrit words: Kona, meaning corner, and arka, meaning sun.
Built by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty from 1238-1250 CE, the 13th century late-style Kalingan temple forms part of the golden triangle of Odisha, along with Puri and Bhubaneswar.
Konark was chosen as its place of construction because it has been described as the holy seat of Surya in various ancient texts.
Its architecture has all the defining elements of the Kalinga architecture – it includes
- Shikhara (crown)
- Jagmohana (audience hall)
- Natmandir (dance hall)
- Vimana (tower)

Ka?inga architectural style

The Ka?inga architectural style is a style of Hindu architecture which flourished in the ancient Kalinga previously known as Utkal and in present eastern Indian state of Odisha.
The style consists of three distinct types of temples:
- Rekha Deula
- Pidha Deula
- Khakhara Deula
The former two are associated with Vishnu, Surya and Shiva temples while the third is mainly with Chamunda and Durga temples.
The Rekha Deula and Khakhara Deula houses are the sanctum sanctorum while the Pidha Deula constitutes outer dancing and offering halls.

The need

The sand was filled up by the British 118 years ago to prevent it from collapsing.
The need to remove the sand was felt after a study warned of possible damage caused by the sand settling down — resulting in a gap of 17 feet between the sand layer and the structure.
This report was submitted in 2019 and suggested two solution:
- To refill the 17-foot gap with fresh sand.
- To remove all the sand and properly restoring the structure

Important festivals in the State

Jagannath Temple in Puri