The Core Committee supervising renovation works in the Jagannath Temple on Wednesday revisited the shrine and inspected the condition of the Nata Mandap for the third consecutive day.
The team would revisit the temple after 10 days for more investigations. After three months, the repair works of the Nata Mandap would begin, informed a member, saying they will go for further inspection, since the condition of the structure is at stake.
On Monday, the team had visited the shrine to take stock of the conditions of Nata Mandap, including Jagamohan, besides other on-going works in the temple. Since the team found the condition of the Nata Mandap at stake and needed more inspections, it halted at Puri to revisit the shrine for thorough inspection before exploring repairing methods.
After return, the experts would prepare a report on real condition of the Nata Mandap and bring in a blueprint for renovations.
The Nata Mandap is presently in a bad state, sources to the committee said.
In the rain recently, servitors had found water dripping from the ceiling of the Nata Mandap situated before the sanctum sanctorum.
Sources said the team consists of Professors of IITs Chennai and Kharagpur, besides engineers of the Archaeological of Survey of India (ASI). During the inspection, it found fractures in the columns inside the Nata Mandap as well.
They marked multiple cracks in two central column capitals out of the four in the room. The team also spotted signs of water seepage from the ceiling of the old roof which was in a bad shape.
On Tuesday, the core committee during night halt in the Special Circuit House discussed the situation of the Nata Mandap, including other structures, in a closed-door meeting. After final inspection on Wednesday, the team would come to a conclusion and prepare a report on it, said a member adding that though the condition of Nata Mandap is bad, but not critical.
After final survey, all the members will jointly sit and prepare a blueprint for implementation so as to protect the centuries old structure, he said.
The team includes Prof Arun Menor, Head of School (conservation), Prof K Bhatacharjee, Structural Engineer IIT Kharagpur, Prof Amlaan Sengupta, IIT Chennai, AP Gupta, Head of Core Committee, AK Patel, former Director of ASI, Delhi, Prof AC Pal, Prof Chitta Das, Dhramapada Mishra, among others. During the three-day inspection, the team also reviewed the condition of the Bhoga Mandap inside the temple.
Notably, the ASI has been assigned the renovation work of the Jagannath Temple since 1980, which has already taken over 30 years for removal of plaster from the tallest structure. After stones were found falling from the temple, a Core Committee comprising experts in fields has been supervising repair works in the temple. Recently, under its supervision, renovation of the Jagamohan has been completed.