Express News Service By

PURI:The expert body, constituted by the State Government to look into conservation work at the 12th century Jagannath temple, on Wednesday found damages in the inner roof of Jagamohan of the main temple.

The false ceiling in Jagamohan was dismantled on Wednesday morning and during inspection, the experts found that a number of stones in the roof were damaged and cracks had developed.

The expert team advised the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials to fill the gaps in the roof with resin and replace the damaged stones within four days. The officials were also asked to clean moss from the walls and roof of Garbha Gruha (sanctum sanctorum).

On Monday, the expert team comprising structural engineers, ASI officials and members of SJTA, had inspected the ventilation system in the Garbha Gruha. The team led by AP Gupta, former head of Civil Engineering department of IIT-Kharagpur, found a thick layer of moss on the inner walls and the roof. They said this was the result of high moisture content in the hot steaming food that is offered to the Trinity a number of times in a day and the respiration of thousands of devotees who enter the sanctum sanctorum to offer obeisance to the deities.

Work on installation of a cooling system in the Garbha Gruha to solve the humidity problem was started on Wednesday. Two machines were installed at the Jhulana Mandap of the temple with pipe connections extending to the Garbha Gruha. While one machine would infuse cool air into the sanctum sanctorum, the other one will exhaust humid air.

Engineers of MECON, a subsidiary company of SAIL, had earlier chalked out a design to infuse cool air and exhaust humid air from the sanctum sanctorum at an estimated cost of Rs 25 lakh. The company has now assured the temple administration of doing it free of cost. The installation would be completed within the next two days.

This apart, PHD engineers inspected the Ganga and Jamuna deep wells inside the temple kitchen. The ground water level in the two wells had fallen to a large extent. The engineers said they would try to install two new borewells near the deep wells to lift water or provide water to temple kitchen from Talabania sweet water zone.

Servitor Suspended

Puri: A servitor of Jagannath temple, Kalijuga Artatran Pratihari, was suspended by Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator SC Mohapatra on Wednesday for allowing a woman devotee atop the chariot of Lord Jagannath on Monday. This was in violation of the SJTA decision not to allow devotees climb the three chariots. A showcause has also been issued to Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, the Badagrahi of Lord Jagannath, who is accused of allowing the servitor to take the woman atop the chariot. Before ‘Pahandi’ of Lord Jagannath into the Gundicha temple on Monday night, Pratihari had taken the woman to the chariot following a direction by Swain Mohapatra, sources alleged. Earlier, two servitors had been suspended by the SJTA for delay in Brahma Parivartan ritual of the Trinity. They are Jayakrushna Das Mohapatra and his father Kashinath Das Mohapatra.