Sri Jagannath temple's sanctum sanctorum safe: ASI

The sanctum sanctorum of the 12th century Sri Jagannath Temple is safe except some minor ventilation issue that requires to be inspected by a special expert team, said a senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Director (Monument) of ASI, A K Patel said this after a team of experts of the ASI made a thorough inspection of the sanctum sanctorum locally called 'Garva Gruha'.

When asked about the Jagamohan or Mukhasala (the porch), Patel said : "The construction work is almost complete. The remaining work will be be completed within next seven days."

ASI s Technical Core Committee chief NC Pal said the inspection was carried by the technical committee, ASI's Director (Monument) and officials of the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).

Puri Gajapati King Divyasingha Dev had recently raised question on the safety of the Garva Gruha.

On repair of the Jagamohan, an ASI official said capitol stone, columns and vertical beams have been fixed. As many as 16 steel frames have been reinforced to the four columns and 16 box frames also been stacked below the stone beams. A total of 95 tonne stainless steel have been used in the repair works, said Pal.

This apart, the ASI officials will also examine the condition of the Nata Mandap (the Dancing hall) in the temple, Pal added.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)