Puri: Friday’s incident of a chunk of plaster coming unstuck from a beam at Srimandir Natamandap and falling on a visiting woman injuring her, has created a flutter among devotees.
However, this is not the first time that such an incident has occurred.
Records at the 12th century shrine reveal that stones and plaster chunks have been falling off the structure over the past 143 years.
Srimandir sources said at least three stones had rolled down from the ceiling of shrine’s sanctum sanctorum July 9, 1875. However, there was no casualty as the presiding deities had been taken to Srigundicha temple as part of the annual Rath Yatra celebration.
Similarly, two stones fell off the sanctum sanctorum ceiling in 1937 and 1939, but without causing any casualty.
A piece of plaster weighing around 8 kg peeled off the main temple January 26, 1961. Similar incidents were reported in 1969, 1975 and 1979, say Srimandir records.
In the meantime, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took charge of the shrine in 1974 and initiated steps for its preservation.
Around 11 years later, a large piece of lime plaster came loose from the main temple August 16, 1985. Srimandir records claim that several pieces of plaster fell off the temple walls January 19, 1988. The shrine witnessed similar a incident February 6, 1990.
As per the available records, a huge piece of stone weighing around 7 tonne rolled down from Srimandir dome June 14, 1990. However, there was no report of any casualty.
A chunk of lime plaster came off the temple wall October 3, 1991 even as the ASI took a slew of measures to repair a few dilapidated structures at the shrine.
The year 1992 bears a special significance for Srimandir when two stones weighing around 4 tonne each rolled down from the sanctum sanctorum ceiling August 13. Several servitors, who were present at the sanctum sanctorum, had escaped the mishap miraculously.
Subsequently, the ASI and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had carried out a massive renovation at the sanctum sanctorum by relocating the presiding deities to Srimandir Jagamohan.
After a gap of 12 years, a piece of plaster came unstuck from the ceiling of Natamandap February 9, 2004, claim the temple records. A servitor had sustained injuries in the incident.
Srimandir sources said an idol of a subsidiary deity fell off the temple’s Lions’ Gate September 20, 2011 to be followed by a piece of stone rolling down from the North Gate November 1, 2011.
Despite ASI effort to renovate the shrine, there were reports that claimed a stone came off the temple dome October 8, 2012. A year later, pieces of lime plaster came loose from the main temple.
Temple sources claimed that
a chunk of plaster fell off
the Beharana gate of Srimandir last year.
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