Jagmohan repair: Naveen urges Centre to send best experts

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has urged the Centre to send its top technical experts to oversee the repair and restoration of the Jagmohan of Shri Jagannath temple in Puri.

In a letter to Union Culture minister Mahesh Sharma on Monday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the Jagmohan of Shri Jagannath Temple, the holiest shrine in Odisha and an institution of unique importance in India, has developed several cracks.

He said after deplastering of the inner surface of the Jagmohan, it was noticed that the four column capitals and the eight stone beams have serious cracks which might affect its structural stability.

Stating that the state government had formed a core committee comprising structural engineers, representatives of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), to suggest remedial measures, Patnaik said the committee, after inspecting the structure on February 7, has recommended additional support to the beams immediately for preventing further damage to the Jagamohan.

Informing the Union minister that this is a matter of urgent public importance, Patnaik sought his personal intervention to direct the ASI to send their best technical experts in the matter and proceed to take up repair and restoration works at the earliest.