ASI begins scaffolding work inside Jagmohan

Puri: The technical team of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) began the scaffolding work inside Jagmohan of Shri Jagannath temple here on Thursday.

The work was supervised by the chief administrator of Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Suresh Chandra Mohapatra and deputy manager of Idco, Tapan Kumar Panda.

Briefing newsmen after visiting the work site inside the temple, Mohapatra said the ASI team would put up the scaffolding up to the area where cracks have appeared in the stone.

“After the scaffolding work is done, senior ASI officials would visit the temple for inspection on February 1-2”, he added.

He also said that a team of ASI had come to the temple to fix the air cotton.

“We have showed the place where the air cotton would be fixed. We would fix the air cotton at the Kalahata Dwara of the temple to prevent the entry of dust inside the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum),” he informed.

As per the rescheduling of the rituals due to the Jagmohan repair work, the servitors had opened the Simha Dwara (entrance gate) and the Bhitara Dwara (inner gate) of the main temple at 2.30 AM and 3.05 AM on Thursday while the devotees had the darshan the Lords outside the Nata Mandap at Jaya Vijaya Dwara.

SJTA has asked the Daitapati Nijog and Garabadu Nijog to begin the rituals of the Lords at 2 AM (Dwaraphita) and complete other rituals like Bhitarashodha, Mangala Alati, Sakala Dhupa, Bhoga Mandapa, Madhyanna Dhupa, Dwitiya Bhoga Mandapa and Dakhinaghara Bhoga by 11 AM after which the ASI would begin the repair work.

The repair work of Jagmohan, which began on Wednesday, is expected to be completed before Snana Purnima by June this year.