Temples stand erect,unscathed.

[Guest guest]

Report from UNI.

 

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 remain unscathed.

 

Amid the ruins everywhere,these shrines still stand erect.Not one of the

structures,a majority of which date back to the period Sixth- 12th century

AD,SUFFERED DAMAGES.

 

At some places even the falg atop the temple was not blown off,though the

wind velocity in the state capital had touched 250 kmph.The same is the case

with the other temples in the entire coast,where the storm left a trail of

death and destruction.

 

According to state Archaeology department,the city has as many as 320

temples dating back to the period Sixth-18th cenury AD,But none of the

shrines collapsed or suffered substantial damage in the cyclone.

 

Report follows,

 

Old temples were build according to the traditonal text of the temple

architecture and were based on the vastu philosphy.

 

These temples were built with Khandolite stones,sandstone,laterite stone

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

and under conservation,the super structure of the shrine escaped damage.

 

Reports from the ineterior of coastal orissa were yet to come,but the

prelminary info revealed that there had been no damage even to those

temples,which were under repair and conservation by the Archaeology dept.

 

According to the official sources,there were as many as 800 temples and

monuments of different periods located in the cyclone devasted areas and

about 100 were under conservation.

 

Even the 10 century Parasar temple at Paradip,Epicentre of the super

cyclone,had withstood the impact.Only the portion of the boundarywall had

been damaged as a big tree fell on it.The Sakhi Gopal temple,the 12th

century Madhavananda temple,the lataharan temple and thE Grameswara temple

located in the cyclone - battered areas were also intact.

 

Archaeologists believe that several factors were taken into consideration

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

recentorigin had suffered extensive damage,these structures withstood the

fury of the cyclone.-