Anil Dey
People of Orissa are anguished by the debate over repair of the Jagamohan of Puri Jagannath Temple. Apprehension about the future of the temple is rising with opinions being sought from different sets of experts. But it appears the experts are wrangling over minor issues while ignoring the real danger.
Here are some observations regarding the temple, which should encourage experts and administrators to ponder over:
It is thought that the ‘pidha’, a portion of roof, of the Jagamohan rests on four columns and that these have developed cracks. This is not true. The columns support only the flat ceiling that forms the base of the chamber above. The ‘pidha’ is a self-sustaining, corbelled structure. It not only does not require support from below but also will be endangered if such support is provided.
In temple structures that are under 50 to 60 feet in height, flat ceilings are absent and one can see the hollow structure all the way to the top from inside. Flat false ceilings are found in large temples such as Lingaraj, Puri and Konark.
Dr RL Mitra, who entered the Jagamohan of Konark in 1868, found broken pillars and iron beams that must have supported the flat ceiling and remnants of ceiling itself lying scattered all over. But the Pidha, notwithstanding heavy damage, had remained in place. The apex of the cone — estimated now at 80feet from floor — was at such height that the top was perhaps not clearly visible and Mitra assumed that one more Muda (chamber) could exist at the top.
Till the Jagamohan of Konark temple was sealed 35 years later in 1903, the ‘pidha’ had not collapsed. It stands even today although level of sand filled inside had settled 20 feet below apex by 2009, according to a report by SIMTEK, the UNESCO consultant.
A proposal to bolster the ‘pidha’ of Konark with columns from the bottom was actively considered during conservation, which started in 1900. A test model was built by CA Merchant, the assistant engineer, Cuttack Workshop, and demonstrated statically by chief engineer RG Kennedy.
But this was contrary to the principle on which these roofs are constructed. For, the heavy top of the roof keeps the corbelling of horizontal arch in position and once the weight is taken off by the pillars the corbelling must fail.
The proposal to use stainless steel columns and beams to support the ceiling was good enough. The real danger to the temple, though, is lurking in its wings, of which no one appears to be aware of.
A few months ago it was reported that columns and the stone beams they supported had developed cracks. Unlike other temples of Bhubaneswar, which are built from sandstone, the Puri and Konark temples are built from khondalite. While sandstone is a sedimentary rock, khondalite is metamorphic rock and tougher than sandstone.
However, khondalite has a schistose formation, that is, this stone is like a bunch of wafers bonded together. The load-bearing capacity of this stone is unidirectional and when the stone degenerates, the wafer lines may appear like cracks. Khondalite is also randomly porous and erodes unequally. Therefore, dry joints in temples made of khondalite are both their strength and weakness.
In corbelled structures, stones need to be in direct contact with each other to ensure structural stability. Had any cementing material been used in the joints, these temples would not have survived for over thousand years.
Cement — notwithstanding additives — has a maximum life of 150 years according to an MIT research paper. It would degenerate thereafter and result in a large void that can destabilise the corbelled balance. Cement is made from lime.
Use of lime mortar was known to ancient builders but they wisely avoided its use in joints. The other side of the picture is that however tight the joints may be, ingress of moisture cannot be stopped.
Condensation of water results in biological growth and chemical change in khondalite and converts it to a spongy mass of oxides. Both are bad for stability of the corbelled structure.
Although it takes a long while for this to happen, it appears to have taken place in the Puri temple, considering the occasional dislodging of stones. Resetting the fallen stones or filling gaps with epoxy-cement masonry is not the solution.
I do not know if a practicing geologist was consulted other areas of the temple could also have degenerated it can put the temple in danger. Modern technology is able to scan structural details and take endoscopic photographs of inaccessible areas.
It is therefore highly necessary that not only the Jagamohan but also the ‘rekha deula’ are subjected to such advanced investigation for appropriate action before it is too late.
The writer is an engineer and the author of ‘Arka Kshetra Konarka’.
