BHUBANESWAR: One of the most interesting aspects of Sun temple at Konark is the innovative use of locally -available building materials in its construction, be it the stones or the iron beams, said archaeologists and heritage conservationists.
They were speaking on the architectural marvel of Sun temple at a symposium ‘Konarka Manthan’ organised by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar. It was inaugurated by National Monument Authority chairperson Kishore Kumar Basa on Saturday.
The NMA chairperson delved into the historical perspective of monuments and shared the importance of exploring the mystery behind the construction of time-tested monuments like the Sun temple. He stressed on the ‘formation of new collective memory’ towards analysing the archaeological aspects of the ancient monuments of India. He said that the challenge for an archaeologist is to reconstruct the whole on the basis of partial remains and this can be addressed by collective efforts from different disciplines.
Speaking on the occasion, ASI technical core committee chief NC Pal discussed the various aspects of Kalinga architecture and various structural design concepts prevalent in ancient Odisha. He emphasised on the use of various corrosion-resistant materials like wrought iron, khondolite and granite in the construction of the Sun temple, which could withstand the vagaries of nature like earthquake even after centuries of their existence. He also deliberated on the engineering excellence and architectural creativity of ancient India with the reference to the Shilpa Shastras of that period.
Currently, IIT-Bhubaneswar is conducting research ‘Forging the Past: Investigating the manufacturing of iron beams used in Konarka Sun temple and analysing their socio-economic impact on the local community’. The research paper has been selected by the Indian Knowledge System (IKS), under the Ministry of Education.
Under the Bharatiya Gyan Samvardhan Yojana’s Competitive Grants Program for 2022-23, the project led by associate professor of IIT-Bhubaneswar Soobhankar Pati has secured funding for its exploration into unraveling the manufacturing methods of the iron beams at the Sun temple, shedding light on India’s rich but forgotten technological prowess.