The state department of archaeology will shortly complete the extensive restoration and reconstruction of the Kukdeshwar temple in Pur village, about 30 km west of Junnar.
The 12th century Shiva temple, which was declared a state-protected monument on June 18, 1998, has been in a dilapidated condition for years; so much so that it had begun to tilt and develop massive cracks, apart from having lost quite a few portions of its roof. The restoration project, which began two years ago, will be completed during the second half of May.
Over a period of more than 150 years, the temple had undergone considerable deterioration without any form of meticulous restoration.
According to V N Kamble, assistant director, department of archaeology, the 'shikhar' or temple top above the 'garbhagriha', or the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, and quite a few portions of the temple roof were missing when the restoration work began. "The walls of the exterior had developed cracks, while the stones were severely mismatched. During the course of time, several temple stones would fall and the locals would haphazardly fit them anywhere, amidst the several layers of the temple exterior. This resulted in the mismatch of stones. The interior chamber of the temple had broken brackets and beams, while the ceiling had cracks. Most of the temple had fallen prey to black mold and decay," said Kamble. He said the ceiling of the temple had been covered with steel sheets to save it from the harsh effects of sun and rain.
The department of archaeology has received a grant of Rs 60 lakh from Junnar-based Vighnahar Cooperative Sugar Factory to have the temple reconstructed.
Hemant Gosavi, the surveyor cum draughtsman, department of archaeology, said, "The department undertook the restoration work in several phases, commencing it by photographing and video-shooting the temple. This was followed with a structural audit, and the stone temple's layers were numbered.
"We prepared a total of 13 drawings of the structure before reconstructing it, including those of the general layout plan, its east side elevation, front or west side elevation, ceiling plan, south and north side elevation, among others. This was followed by dismantling the structure as per the archaeological norms."
Author: Neha Madaan | Source: The Times of India [April 30, 2011]
The 12th century Shiva temple, which was declared a state-protected monument on June 18, 1998, has been in a dilapidated condition for years; so much so that it had begun to tilt and develop massive cracks, apart from having lost quite a few portions of its roof. The restoration project, which began two years ago, will be completed during the second half of May.
Over a period of more than 150 years, the temple had undergone considerable deterioration without any form of meticulous restoration.
According to V N Kamble, assistant director, department of archaeology, the 'shikhar' or temple top above the 'garbhagriha', or the interior of the sanctum sanctorum, and quite a few portions of the temple roof were missing when the restoration work began. "The walls of the exterior had developed cracks, while the stones were severely mismatched. During the course of time, several temple stones would fall and the locals would haphazardly fit them anywhere, amidst the several layers of the temple exterior. This resulted in the mismatch of stones. The interior chamber of the temple had broken brackets and beams, while the ceiling had cracks. Most of the temple had fallen prey to black mold and decay," said Kamble. He said the ceiling of the temple had been covered with steel sheets to save it from the harsh effects of sun and rain.
The department of archaeology has received a grant of Rs 60 lakh from Junnar-based Vighnahar Cooperative Sugar Factory to have the temple reconstructed.
Hemant Gosavi, the surveyor cum draughtsman, department of archaeology, said, "The department undertook the restoration work in several phases, commencing it by photographing and video-shooting the temple. This was followed with a structural audit, and the stone temple's layers were numbered.
"We prepared a total of 13 drawings of the structure before reconstructing it, including those of the general layout plan, its east side elevation, front or west side elevation, ceiling plan, south and north side elevation, among others. This was followed by dismantling the structure as per the archaeological norms."
Author: Neha Madaan | Source: The Times of India [April 30, 2011]