Konark Temple

Konark Temple

The Konark temple is an architectural marvel dedicated to the Sun God. The original Sun Temple is widely believed to be an embodiment of the second oldest stone structural system in India. However, for some time now, there have been allegations that this ancient monument is suffering from severe degradation and that it has been dilapidated with numerous cracks in its outer surface caused by improper restoration work done by earlier caretakers.

Konark Temple

The Konark Sun Temple is an architectural marvel, rising from the ground like a mountain. It is perhaps the most celebrated temple site in India. Constructed during the reign of King Narasimhadeva I (AD 1238–1264), this sun temple rises up impressively in two storeys above the ground.

The temple is designed in the shape of a colossal chariot. It is dedicated to the sun God. In this sense, it is directly and materially linked to Brahmanism and tantric belief systems.

The Konark temple is a standout among other temples in Odisha. Its architectural design and the juxtaposition of boldness and simplicity make it a landmark not only for this region but also for Indian architecture. The shrine inside the temple exhibits some of the finest examples of Hindu sculptural art.

It marks the highest point of achievement of Kalinga architecture depicting the grace, the joy and the rhythm of life all its wondrous variety. It was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984.

Significance of Preservation of Cultural Heritage

Cultural industries are also critical to sustaining livelihoods and boosting tourism in developing countries. In fact, they often "pull in" rather than "push out" of undeveloped areas. The maintenance of a cultural site or service can be an important component of community development efforts.

Cultural heritage has often been claimed to be of importance for its intrinsic value, but it is mainly valued because of the significant economic and social impact that it generates.

Status of UNESCO world heritage site brings international recognition and potential tourism opportunities, thus necessitating stringent measures for the protection and preservation of historical monuments.

Gaps in Ensuring Safety of Heritage Structures in India

Structural safety is a vital issue for the engineering sector at large and particularly for the heritage structures that have been assigned to numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

In a nation where ancient ruins and artifacts continue to inspire the tourism industry, conservation of heritage structures is an infrastructure advancement priority which enjoys support from both society and the government.

Formal systems are absent in India, which recognise the need for use of scientific tools for diagnosis and quantitative assessment of residual capacity before choosing repair or strengthening strategy.

There is lack of convergence between modern-day engineering education and traditional knowledge of construction materials and practices; this is a serious hindrance to preservation of heritage.

The current practices of post-disaster interventions in heritage structures can at best be termed as repair, which often are unscientific, ad hoc, and semi- or non-engineered. Retrofit or pre-disaster intervention is desirable, but requires a comprehensive programme.

Important facets of conservation, like reversibility of the chosen intervention and documentation of the intervention undertaken, are accepted as part of process in international practice; such an approach is yet to be internalised in the national and state agencies undertaking post-disaster interventions.

Challenges of Safeguarding Tangible Cultural Heritage

Protection of cultural heritage is a growing concern in the world. Let’s see some major Challenges of Safeguarding Tangible Cultural Heritage.

Lack of funding: The efforts for safeguarding and conservation of tangible cultural heritage have not been backed by adequate financial resources. While many attempts have been made to rehabilitate and preserve such cultural elements, most of them were not successful because of the lack of funding. Tourism is the major area that requires additional revenue to safeguard tangible cultural heritage and provide better facilities and services to the tourists.

Lack of trained manpower: Few people are conscious of cultural heritage preservation and it's being a viable occupation. At the institutional level lack of efforts in mainstreaming heritage preservation as a career and providing skills remains a formidable challenge.

Lack of awareness and publicity for the need for protection: Briefly describing the lessons learned from some of these incidents across the world in safeguarding tangible cultural heritage would be useful. Though most of the lessons are common to prevent damage to tangible cultural heritage, owing to unprofessional handling of those incidents, it has demonstrated many pitfalls and prompted the need for special care or guidelines for better protection.

Illegal Encroachments: A look at the issue of encroaching on structures, streets, and surrounding areas of historical structures. Such encroachments not only mar the visual appeal of the structure or monument, but also leads to environmental degradation.

Environmental Pollution: Many of our important heritage properties are badly affected by the pollution. To preserve the cultural properties, we need to take a number of steps to protect them from any types of pollution.