Headline news: Gods take care of temples!

[Guest guest]

I was pleasantly thrilled by today's news in the Free Press Journal.

(Especially when in this part of the world there is the stinking news of

religious intolerance from the Baptist quarter and the consequent unfair

criticism of everything that is Hindu). I cannot but share the thrill with

you all. Here is it:

 

Gods take care of the temples

Free Press Journal

November 12, 1999

All the ancient temples in Orissa, some dating back to the sixth century,

remain unscathed by the super cyclone that hit the coastal state.

 

 

BHUBANESWAR: The TV tower crashed down, electricity poles fell like

ninepins and mighty trees were uprooted as the super cyclone vented its

fury, but the numerous temples in the city remained unscathed, reports

UNI.

Amid the ruins everywhere, these shrines still stand erect. Not a single

structure, a majority of which date back to the sixth century AD to 12th

century AS, suffered damage. At some places, even the flag atop the temple

was not blown off though the wind velocity in the state capital had

touched 250 kmph.

 

The same was the case with other temples in the entire coast, where the

storm had left a trail of death and destruction.

 

According to state Archaeology Department superintendent Dr B K Rath, the

city has as many as 320 temples dating back to the sixth century AD to

18th century AD, but none of the shrines had collapsed or suffered

substantial damage due to the cyclone.

 

He said all the debasthal (religious sites), where the temples had been

built, were significant in that they strictly followed the traditional

text of temple architecture and were based on the vaastu philosophy.

 

These temples were built with khandolite stone, sandstone, laterite stone

and even bricks. Though most of these were in a dilapidated condition and

under conservation, the superstructure of these shrines escaped damage.

 

Dr Rath said the field report, received by his department, had also

suggested that no temple in the coast had been damaged in the cyclone.

 

Dr Rath said reports from the interiors of coastal Orissa were yet to

come, but the preliminary information revealed that there had been no

damage even to those temples, which were under repair and conservation by

the state Archaeology Department. According to official sources, there

were as many as 800 temples and monuments of different periods located in

the cyclone-devastated areas and about 100 of these were under the

conservation of the state Archaeology Department. Even the tenth century

Parasar temple in Paradip, the epicentre of the super cyclone, had

withstood the impact. Only a portion of the boundary wall had been damaged

as a big tree fell on it.

 

The Sakhigopal temple, the 12th century Madhavananda temple, the Lataharan

temple and the Grameswar temple located in the cyclone-battered areas were

also intact, he said.

 

Archaeologists believe that several factors were taken into consideration

before erecting a temple for its safety. Thus, though many buildings of

recent origin had suffered extensive damage, these structures withstood

the fury of the cyclone.

 

PraNAms to all advaitins

Yours, profvk

 

 

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

The URL of my website has been simplified as

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access both my books from there.