BHUBANESWAR:With repair work on eight statues of live icons (Chalanti Pratima) of lord Lingaraj hanging fire for years, a 10-member team of Puri Srimandir Mukti Mandap Panditamandali on Sunday visited Lingaraj temple here to examine the condition of the broken idols and suggest remedial measures.
The team along with members of four servitors Niyog, temple management authorities and two skilled artisans from Kantilo jointly examined the idols that are in a decrepit condition for decades.
After completing inspection, the delegation informed mediapersons that it will soon convene a meeting to decide appropriate measures to carry out the repair work. “The decision will be taken in accordance with the temple norms and a report in this regard will be submitted to the temple trust within a few days,” said Uma Ballav Mohapatra, one of the members of the team.
The servitors performing rituals of presiding deity of the temple lord Lingaraj had raised concern over the issue several times in the past and termed it ‘inauspicious’ to have such broken idols at the shrine.
Accordingly, Sri Lingaraj Trust Board had put a proposal before the Muktimandap in Puri for repair of the idols. A delegation of Srimandir Mukti Mandap had visited the 12th century shrine to inspect the condition of the statues in 2015 and suggested to carry out repair work.
As the artisans expressed their inability to take up repair work of the broken idols in their present condition and suggested their replacement, the recommendations of Mukti Mandap team remained unimplemented.
Meanwhile, Sri Lingaraj Temple Trust Board manager Rajib Lochan Parida said after Sunday’s inspection, the Srimandir Mukti Mandap team has assured to submit their report to the board within four days following which steps for repairing the idols will be taken.