BHUBANESWAR: The World Heritage site of Sun temple at Konark has not suffered any infrastructure damage in the extremely severe cyclone Fani.
This was informed by Director General of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Usha Sharma, who along with a team of officials on Friday, assessed the extent of damage caused by Fani to the temple.
While there is no major structural damage to the aging monument, the numerous scaffoldings that surrounded it have been dislocated. The team informed that there is dislocation of the scaffolding set up for chemical cleaning of upper portion of the monument. More than 200 trees have either been uprooted or damaged in the cyclonic storm while electrical illumination and digital entry systems of monument have been completely damaged. While the monument has been closed since May 3, restoration works will be completed within a fortnight, said Sharma. The monument will open for the public in next three days.
The ASI plans to complete chemical cleaning and consolidation of eastern face of the monument on a priority basis. The team also assessed the damage in Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri. Earlier, the Superintending Archaeologist of Bhubaneswar circle had inspected ASI-protected monuments including the Puri temple and found certain damages on the surface. However, no major damage to the structure of the temple was found.
On Thursday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written to Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma to assess the damage caused to Sun temple and Sri Jagannath temple. The Central ASI team will also suggest restoration exercise needed for the monuments and the surrounding areas.