BHUBANESWAR: AFTER nearly two decades, people can now get a clear view of the Sun temple with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) removing a majority of the massive iron scaffoldings around it.
Superintending Archaeologist of ASI-Bhubaneswar Circle Arun Malik and Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), who have been studying the conservational aspects of the World Heritage monument, had recently inspected the temple and suggested measures to remove the scaffoldings.
Prior to that, the first, second and third ‘Pidhas’ of the Jagamohan were strengthened. The joints that had cracked over the years were also sealed through grouting.
Sources said only some portions of the temple where paper pulp and chemical treatment of sculptures is being carried out will continue to have the scaffoldings but these will not obstruct view of the monument.
The CBRI in its previous reports had mentioned that the structure is entirely safe. The scaffoldings were first put up in the south-east corner of the Jagamohan in 1990 for conservation works and subsequently covered the entire structure.