ASI team visits Puri Jagannath Temple ahead of Nata Mandap repair work

Puri: A technical team of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) today visited the Jagannath Temple in Puri for inspection of cracks ahead of repair work of Nata Mandap.

The team led by Additional DG of the ASI reached the centuries old temple from New Delhi to inspect the outer and inner sides of Nata Mandap.

Source said that the expert team will provide necessary suggestions for the preservation of the structure after inspecting the Nata Mandap and Jagamohan.

According to reports, the ASI will carry out the repair work very soon after cracks were found at the Nata Mandap of Puri Srimandir. The condition of the Nata Mandap is being examined by the crack meter since 2018 after the cracks were found on the central beam of Nata Mandap.

As the cracks are not clearly visible, a team of IIT Chennai under direct supervision of the ASI is monitoring the performance to ascertain the size and intensity of the cracks in the column capital of the Jagannath Temple’s Nata Mandap.

The ASI is set to start repair work of the Nata Mandap after a report submitted by amicus curiae and Orissa High Court expressed discontent over ‘negligence’ of the central agency, sources said.